Neil Sedaka, the singer-songwriter behind hits such as Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, Oh! Carol, and Calendar Girl, has died aged 86. His death was confirmed by a representative to Variety on Friday, hours after he was taken to hospital in Los Angeles. No cause of death was given.
“Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather, Neil Sedaka,” a statement from his family said. “A true rock and roll legend, an inspiration to millions, but most importantly, at least to those of us who were lucky enough to know him, an incredible human being who will be deeply missed.”
Born in 1939, Sedaka was a child prodigy at the piano, receiving a scholarship to the Juilliard School at age nine. He initially studied to be a concert pianist but later turned to pop music. At 13, he began a songwriting partnership with his neighbour Howard Greenfield that lasted more than a decade.
Sedaka became a teen idol in the late 1950s and early 1960s, producing hits like Oh! Carol and Calendar Girl. He was part of the Brill Building scene in Manhattan, alongside Paul Simon, Burt Bacharach, and Carole King, whom he dated in high school. Between 1959 and 1963, he sold over 25 million records and earned a Grammy nomination.
The British invasion led by the Beatles nearly ended his career, but he returned to prominence in the 1970s, signing with Elton John's Rocket label. Sedaka also wrote for other artists, including Connie Francis's Stupid Cupid and Captain and Tennille's Love Will Keep Us Together, and collaborated with ABBA on English lyrics for Ring Ring.
Sedaka maintained a six-decade career through touring and performing. Of fame, he once said: “You do have to give up your privacy. But the good thing is that you can get a table in a restaurant or a seat at the theatre.”
