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Ely died this week at his home in Redmond of what appears to
have been skin cancer, said his son, Sean Ely.
"His religious beliefs didn't incorporate medical stuff so we're
not really sure" about the cause of death, he said.
Jack Ely was with The Kingsmen in 1963 when they recorded a
version of the rhythm and blues song "Louie Louie" that had been
written in 1955 by singer Richard Berry.
Ely's slurred lyrics on the recording, which reached No. 2 on
the Billboard charts, led to rumors he had sneaked obscenities
into the song. The FBI opened an investigation in a futile
attempt to determine all the words on the recording.
Ely later left the band which went on to record other hit songs
without him, including "Money (That's What I Want)" and "The
Jolly Green Giant."
He later went on to train horses at a ranch in Oregon, Sean Ely
said. In 2012, he released a Christian album called "Love Is All
Around You Now."
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Daniel Wallis and
Bill Trott)
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