With his smouldering, dark good looks and his rock and roll gyrations, Argentine singer Sandro was bound to be compared to the King of Rock 'n' Roll Elvis Presley .

He won legions of fans who were devastated by his death on 4 January, 2010, following complications after a heart and lung transplant in November 2009.

Born in Buenos Aires in 1945 he started to play guitar as a child.

Along with childhood friend Enrique Irigoytia he formed several bands that sang Spanish versions of hits by stars like Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Paul Anka.

But it was during his time as lead guitarist with the band Los de Fuego that his performing career took off. At one performance the band's singer lost his voice and Mr Sanchez took over......the rest, as they say, was history.

He adopted the stage name Sandro - a name which apparently his mother wanted to give him at birth but which the Civil Registry refused.

Sandro y Los de Fuego made their television debut in 1964 on "Circular Saturdays," one of Argentina's most popular shows. And like Elvis's famed early TV performances there were complaints about Sandro's wild, hip-thrusting dancing style.

The band recorded two more albums before Sandro embarked on a prolific solo career. He went on to record 52 albums and appear in 16 films. He was awarded a Latin Grammy for career achievement in 2005 and in the 1970s he had the distinction of being the first Latin American to play Madison Square Garden in New York.

Tragically, a lifetime of smoking left him debilitated by pulmonary emphysema and finally robbed him of the ability to sing.

He went on the waiting list for a heart and lung transplant last year and the operation was performed on 20 November, 2009. But he died at the Italian Hospital in the Argentine city of Mendoza

He was survived by his wife, Olga Garaventa, whom he married in 2007.

In one of his last interviews with a radio station he said: "I am to blame for the condition that I am in. I deserve it, I sought it out. I picked up this damn cigarette."