Willy DeVille | Musician, 58

NEW YORK - Willy DeVille, 58, who founded the punk group Mink DeVille and was known for his blend of R&B, blues, Dixieland, and traditional French Cajun ballads, died Thursday.

The Oscar-nominated songwriter died at New York's Cabrini Hospital of pancreatic cancer, said publicist Carol Kaye at Kayos Productions.

Mink DeVille, for which he was the principal songwriter, was billed as one of the most original groups on the New York punk scene after an appearance at the legendary CBGB club in Greenwich Village in the 1970s.

In 1977, the band recorded Cabretta, a rock and roll/rhythm and blues album with renowned producer Jack Nitzsche. Its featured song, "Spanish Stroll," was a Top 20 hit in Britain. It was followed by the album Return to Magenta.

Better known in Europe than in the United States, Mr. DeVille went solo in 1980 with Le Chat Bleu. Recorded in Paris and influenced by his admiration for siren Edith Piaf, the album featured "This Must Be the Night" and "Just to Walk That Little Girl Home."

His "Storybook Love," featured in the 1987 movie The Princess Bride, was nominated for an Academy Award. - AP