The Canadian performer best known for his version of "My Way" was once a pop
idol in the rock'n'roll turmoil of the late 1950s, with a string of hits to sway
the hearts of teenage girls. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, on July 30, 1941, into a
family of restaurateurs of Lebanese origin, he sang in church as a youth, then
in high school in a vocal trio called The Bobby Soxers. Signed by ABC Records
after an audition, he scored his first big hit with "Diana", a song of his own
that topped the Canadian and American charts in 1957, soon followed by a slew of
hits, including "You Are My Dest...