SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Jimmy Boyd, the child singer and actor best known for the original rendition of the Christmas novelty hit "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" in 1952, has died. He was 70.
Boyd died Saturday of cancer at a Santa Monica convalescent hospital, longtime friend Eleanor Pillsbury said Tuesday.
"I Saw Mommy" shot to the top of the Billboard charts three weeks after it was released. It sold 2 million records in less than 10 weeks. It has since been interpreted by such artists as the Jackson 5, John Mellencamp and Amy Winehouse.
Boyd, who was 13 when he recorded the song, told Time magazine soon after its release that he was surprised by its success.
His TV work included appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in the early 1950s and roles in the situation comedies "Bachelor Father" from 1958 to 1961 and "Date with the Angels" in the late-1950s.
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