Gordon Waller of British pop duo Peter and Gordon has passed away at the age of 64. Waller died Friday at The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, Connecticut. Waller and Peter Asher hit No. 1 on music charts around the world in 1964 with their debut single “A World Without Love.” That song was written by Paul McCartney. Peter commented on the official website with “Gordon played such a significant role in my life that losing him is hard to comprehend – let alone to tolerate.”

The group’s official site also said:

We are deeply saddened to report that some time after 8:00 p.m. last night east coast time, Gordon Waller went into cardiac arrest and was taken to the emergency room. Despite intensive efforts on his behalf by hospital personnel, Gordon passed away early this morning. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

His partner of nearly five decades, Peter Asher, will be issuing a statement shortly. We hope you will join us sending love and condolences to his family.
[Official Site]

From Yahoo:

The duo also hit the charts with other songs written by McCartney, including “Nobody I Know” and “I Don’t Want To See You Again.” Although McCartney wrote the songs, they were jointly credited to him and John Lennon, as was all their work at the time.

Peter and Gordon’s other hits included their versions of Del Shannon’s “I Go to Pieces” and the Buddy Holly song “True Love Ways,” both in 1965; “Lady Godiva,” 1966; and “Knight in Rusty Armour” reached the top 20 in 1967.

“Woman,” another McCartney song not to be confused with Lennon’s later song of the same name — also reached the top 20 in 1966.

According to the book “The Beatles: The Biography” by Bob Spitz, McCartney had started writing “A World Without Love” as a teenager. By the time the Beatles reached the top in 1963-64, it wasn’t up to their current standard, and it had also been rejected by another singer as “too soft.”
[Yahoo]