Damage to Gene Pitney Bench Under Investigation By Somers Police

SOMERS, CT — Police are investigating damage done to a bench in front of Piedmont Hall, which honors the legacy of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Gene Pitney.

"We do have an investigation ongoing regarding the Pitney bench," said Kim Littig, police administrator at the Somers Resident Trooper's Office. "It's unfortunate what happened."

The seat portion of the bench was discovered broken in half about two weeks ago, as evidenced by this photo submitted by reader Nathan Cavaleri.

Pitney, who was raised in the Rockville section of Vernon and became known as "The Rockville Rocket," burst onto the national scene with his first Top 40 hit, "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away" in early 1961. A year later, he posted back-to-back Top 5 hits with "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance" (No. 4) and "Only Love Can Break a Heart" (No. 2).

In his career, he totaled 16 hits in the Billboard U.S. Top 40, including four which cracked the top 10. He was even more popular in Europe, especially in the United Kingdom, where he posted 22 Top 40 hits, with 11 making the top 10.

He and his wife Lynne, whom he married in Italy in 1967, moved to Somers in the late 1960s. They have three sons: Todd, Chris, and David.

In 2002, Pitney was a member of one of the most diverse groups of performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was honored alongside Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Isaac Hayes, Brenda Lee, the Ramones and the Talking Heads.

While touring the United Kingdom in spring 2006, Pitney died of a heart attack in his hotel room following a concert at St. David's Hall in Cardiff, Wales. He is buried in Somers Center Cemetery.

A granite memorial bench dedicated to Pitney's memory was placed on Main Street in front of Piedmont Hall in May 2016. It is inscribed:

In Memory of Gene F. Pitney 1940-2006
Born and raised in Rockville, CT
Longtime Somers, CT resident
Hometown boy who became a Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame international recording star

First Selectman Bud Knorr said, "We are hopeful that this investigation will lead to an arrest and/or financial restitution for the repair of this memorial. I participated at the initial dedication of this memorial bench in conjunction with Lynne Pitney, Gene’s widow, and her family. Honoring Gene Pitney as a resident of Somers and as an iconic songwriter and performer was a wonderful way to pay tribute to Gene and his contribution to the music and entertainment business. I was very disturbed by the careless destruction of this memorial bench for no apparent reason other than outright vandalism, without any concern for the heartache that this would cause to Lynne and her family. We will pursue this investigation very aggressively, along with addressing the repair of the memorial."

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