Famed singer songwriter Slim Whitman passed away in Florida this morning.

Widely known for his country-flecked covers of pop standards and his tendency to yodel, for better or for worse Whitman helped popularize the very American country and western sound in Europe. His popularity blossomed in the UK, and he ended up being far more popular in Blighty than he ever was in his own country – sort of like a reversed version of grunge also-rans Bush.

News has circulated today that the aging performer has passed away at 90 years old. His son-in-law Roy Beagle informed the Mercury News that Whitman died of heart failure.

Whitman’s contribution to music might be laughed off fairly easily, but it shouldn’t be – he is still credited with encouraging a young Elvis Presley on his path, and without his contribution to the British music scene the direction of rock music could have looked very different.