Argentina's Elvis dies after heart and lung transplant

AN ARGENTINE singer whose gyrating pelvis and romantic ballads brought comparisons to Elvis Presley and made him the first Latin American to sing in Madison Square Garden, New York, has died of complications from heart and lung transplant surgery. He was 64.

The singer, Sandro, died on Monday, Dr Claudio Burgos, from the Italian Hospital in Mendoza, said

Born Roberto Sanchez in Buenos Aires in 1945, Sandro was the author of hits such as Asi and Dame Fuego, and his rock and pop tunes won him fame the length and breadth of Latin America.

Winner of a Latin Grammy for career achievement in 2005, Sandro recorded more than 50 albums and acted in a string of films.

Last year, in one of his final interviews, the singer blamed his smoking habit for his long illness. "I am debilitated because I cannot move," he said.

"My life is my bed, my spot in the dining room where I read the newspaper and from there I do not move.

"I am to blame for the condition I am in. I deserve it," he said. "I sought it out. I picked up this damn cigarette."