'Into the Night' singer Benny Mardones dead at 73

Benny Mardones, best-known for his 1980 smash 'Into The Night', has died at his home after a 20-year battle with Parkinson's disease. He was 73. Photo: YouTube screengrab

Benny Mardones, best-known for his 1980 smash Into The Night, died at his home in Menifee, Calif. after a 20-year battle with Parkinson's disease, according to Syracuse.com and multiple news reports. He was 73.

A native of Cleveland, Mardones grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore and serviced in the Navy during the Vietnam war. After his discharge, he worked as a staff songwriter for Mercury Records before making the move to become an artiste in the late 1970s.