American Idol Old-Timer Stuns America With Touching Tribute  2/2/07

A 64-year-old crooner has become a household name in the US after American Idol producers waived their age limit policy and allowed him to perform the song he sang to his dying lover on the talent show. 

Sherman Pore had Idol judges Olivia Newton John and Paula Abdul in tears, and stunned acid-tongued Simon Cowell when he joined wannabe singers at auditions in Los Angeles late last year (06). And when his touching rendition of You Belong to Me aired on TV on Wednesday night (31JAN07), Pore became an instant hero after the circumstances of his 'audition' became clear. 

Pore explained he petitioned the show's producers, asking them to let him sing for the judges - as a tribute to his late partner, Melissa Miller, who had died just two days before his televised performance. 

The 64-year-old has since appeared on a number of US news shows, where he has fought back tears to explain his decision to become an American Idol. 

He says, "She passed away on Friday morning and for the next day and a half I was sitting around the apartment dumping several buckets of tears, and she said, 'Stop your crying, get off your tail and go out and do what you promised.'"