David Hess, R. I. P.

David Hess, American Horror Film Actor and Songwriter, Dead at 69 [VIDEO] - International Business Times: American horror film actor and songwriter, David Hess, 69, died Saturday of a heart attack.

Hess is best remembered as Krug Stilo, the leader of a gang that kidnaps, rapes, and tortures two teenage girls in Wes Craven's classic slasher film "Last House on the Left" (1972). The actor's intense performance as an unrepentant serial killer in a small, idyllic town shocked audiences with gory, on-screen violence.

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Hess was born in New York City on Sept. 19, 1942. He began his professional career as a songwriter for Shalimar Music in 1957, using the pseudonym of David Hill. He composed "Start Movin'" for Sal Mineo and "Rockin' Shoes" for the Ames Brothers. He continued to write songs for Elvis Presley through the 1950s and 1960s, including hits "Come Along" and "Sand Castles." In 1963, Hess wrote and recorded "Speedy Gonzalez" for Pat Boone, which became a #6 hit single in the U.S. and a #2 hit in the UK.