Man Who Wrote And Hummed Oscar Mayer Wiener Jingle Dies

CHICAGO (AP) — The man who got generations of hot dog lovers humming along to the Oscar Mayer Weiner song has died.

An obituary posted online by a northern Illinois funeral home says Richard Trentlage died on Sept. 21 at age 87.

With the words, "Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener," Trentlage helped solidify the company's hot dogs as a piece of Americana.

The jingle he wrote appeared in a 1960s television commercial featuring cartoon children marching along and singing. The tune remained a fixture for the next half a century.

Trentlage was born in Chicago and began penning jingles as a high school student. Later, he transformed his living room into a recording studio, inviting his own children to sing on audition tapes.