Fred Milano | Of Dion and Belmonts, 72

Fred Milano, 72, who made rock-and-roll history on doo-wop hits with Dion and the Belmonts in the 1950s and continued to perform while starting a late-in-life career with the New York City Department of Correction, died Sunday, three weeks after lung cancer was diagnosed, said Warren Gradus, who joined the Belmonts in 1963. Mr. Milano lived in New York.

Mr. Milano and three friends from the Bronx formed the Belmonts in the mid-1950s, borrowing their name from the borough's Belmont Avenue. They became Dion and the Belmonts after lead singer Dion DiMucci joined in 1958.

Mr. Milano sang tenor on hits such as "A Teenager in Love" and "Where or When." The Belmonts continued to perform and record with different lineups after DiMucci left for a solo career in 1960. Gradus said Mr. Milano was performing with the Belmonts at casinos and other venues just weeks ago.

There was some tension between DiMucci and Belmonts members, who were not pleased when DiMucci was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame without them in 1989.

Mr. Milano went back to school in middle age and joined the Department of Correction in 2003. In his position as a legal coordinator at the Rikers Island jail complex, he helped inmates research their cases and taught a legal research class, said Karen Powell, director of law libraries. - AP