Neil Sedaka wrote more than 700 songs during his lifetime, including such hits as “Laughter in the Rain,” “Calendar Girl,” and “Love Will Keep Us Together.”
Neil Sedaka, the legendary singer-songwriter behind songs like “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” and “Oh! Carol,” has died at the age of 86, his agent Victoria Varela confirmed to USA TODAY.
“Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather, Neil Sedaka,” the family said in a statement to USA TODAY. “A true rock and roll legend, an inspiration to millions, but most importantly, a wonderful human being who will be sorely missed, at least by those of us who were lucky enough to know him.”
Barrera said he could not share any further details at this time.
The Brooklyn, New York native has developed into a beloved pop and rock musician with over 700 songwriting credits, including such enduring and universal hits as “Laughter in the Rain” and “Calendar Girl.”
Before he turned 20 in 1959, Sedaka co-wrote Connie Francis’ single “Stupid Cupid” with lyricist Howard Greenfield, which entered the Billboard Top 100, peaking at number 17. A year later, Sedaka wrote and recorded his own song, “Oh! Carol,” which peaked at number 9 and remains one of the highlights of his career.
Throughout his career, Sedaka had three songs peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and nine top 10 charts, primarily in the early 1960s. In 1975, he experienced a career resurgence through his collaboration with Elton John, “Bad Blood.”
“We mastered the art of the two-and-a-half minute song. Back then, a 45-rpm song had to be two and a half minutes, and it had to tell the whole story from start to finish,” Sedaka said in a 2010 Reuters interview. “I was the king of the tra-la-las and doo-be-doo of the ’50s and ’60s. It had to be a really catchy song with a catchy beat that you could dance to.”
The Recording Academy nominated him for five Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year.
His accomplishments were further cemented when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1978 and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983.
Born in 1939, he was raised in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn by his father, Mordecai, a taxi driver, and his mother, Eleanor, who worked part time at a department store.
Having an obvious talent for music from an early age, he was awarded a scholarship to the Juilliard School’s Child Preparation Department in 1947.
By 1956, Sedaka was chosen by pianist Arthur Rubinstein to appear on his radio show, and at age 16 he was honored as New York City’s best high school pianist, he said in a 2019 interview with The Morning Call.
“I think the reason my music was special was because it was a combination of show music, pop music, evergreen standards, rock. It’s like me and Phil Cody, Carol Sager, Howie Greenfield. We were a combination of all those styles,” he said in an interview. “And Stevie Wonder came up to me once and said, ‘You’re the product of all the music you’ve heard your whole life. And that’s true.’
Sedaka is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Reba, their children, recording artist Dara, television writer and film editor Mark, and three grandchildren.
