Man Who Got Generations Humming Oscar Mayer Wiener Song Dies

Oscar Mayer Wienermobile
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile vehicle is seen outside of the New York Stock Exchange as part of its day-long 75th birthday celebration on July 18, 2011. To commemorate the milestone, the Oscar Mayer brand rang the closing bell at NYSE. Diane Bondareff / AP Images for Oscar Mayer
Oscar Mayer Wienermobile
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile vehicle is seen outside of the New York Stock Exchange as part of its day-long 75th birthday celebration on July 18, 2011. To commemorate the milestone, the Oscar Mayer brand rang the closing bell at NYSE. Diane Bondareff / AP Images for Oscar Mayer

Man Who Got Generations Humming Oscar Mayer Wiener Song Dies

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