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Police: Construction Worker Known As 'Second Avenue Sinatra' Found Dead

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A man who gained fame singing Frank Sinatra on Second Avenue has been found dead in an apparent suicide, after he was missing from his Queens neighborhood for a month.

Four years after Gary Russo's brush with fame, the "Second Avenue Sinatra'' vanished without a trace after leaving his home shortly after midnight on July 28.

On Friday, a passerby discovered Russo's body hanging from a tree in a park strewn with reeds in the Howard Beach Queens.

Police: Construction Worker Known As 'Second Avenue Sinatra' Found Dead

Police suspect Russo's death was a suicide. The New York City Medical Examiner's office will determine his cause of death.

Earlier this month, Russo's car was found abandoned in the same neighborhood.

The 54-year-old iron worker shot to YouTube fame in 2011 for crooning out Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin classics at the Second Avenue subway project during his 30-minute lunch break.

He was the foreman for the subway project. But his stardom was short-lived. Russo was transferred to another job site about a month later.

Friends said Russo still performed at some small venues and gave motivational speeches.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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