told NPR in 2019 of being asked to cover the 1975 tune, which was originally performed by the singer Valentino. “[It] has just been a blessing to my life.
And it’s been a blessing, once again, to even another generation’s life through the take that Gaga did on it.”The song became a career-defining moment for Bean in the mid-1970s, by which time he had already achieved many lifetimes’ worth of accomplishments in spite of the odds.
Born in 1944, the Baltimore native was raised by a neighbor after his mother died during an abortion. While living there, he was abused by his uncle — only to be kicked out of the household entirely after realizing he was attracted to boys.