R.I.P. Neil Sedaka

A musical prodigy, gifted songwriter, and pop music artist and performer, the legendary Neil Sedaka, whose career went into seven decades, passed away on Friday in Los Angeles at the age of 86.

Cause of death was not immediately known but his son, Marc, stated that his father was taken from his West Hollywood home to an area hospital, where he passed away.

As a songwriter, he’s credited with writing or a co-write on over 500 songs, was inducted into the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983 and earned five Grammy Award nominations.

The Brooklyn-born Sedaka came into the world on March 13, 1939, to a taxi driving father and his wife, with the young Sedaka growing up in the southern neighborhood of Brighton Beach. He was musically inclined from a very early age, showing his dexterity on piano as early as second grade, with his mother hoping he would become a revered classical pianist, but Sedaka happened to discover pop music in his teens (even co-founding doo-wop group, The Tokens).

He met neighbor Howard Greenfield as a young teenager and the two would go on to become two of the famous Brill Building composers. Pre-Beatles era hits like “Calendar Girl,” “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen” and “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” (#1 in 1962) would climb the charts and he later co-wrote “Stupid Cupid” and “Where the Boys Are” for Connie Francis and later, the Captain and Tennille’s biggest smash, “Love Will Keep Us Together.”

With the mid-60s British Invasion, he had become suddenly outdated and moved to the UK, where he remained popular, now writing with lyricist Phil Cody. Sedaka credited Elton John in helping to revive his career, signing with EJ’s own imprint, Rocket Records, for a pair of well-received mid-70s albums.

Sedaka kept performing and recording into the 80s and beyond, even returning to his classical roots, composing a symphonic piece and also recorded with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. In addition to his music, he appeared in TV and films (often as himself performing) and published a 1982 autobiography, Laughter in the Rain- My Own Story, named after one of his many hits.

In addition to his son, Marc, Neil Sedaka is survived by his wife of over sixty-three years, Leba Strassberg; a daughter, Dara, three grandchildren; and daughter-in-law, Samantha.