Singer-Songwriter Neil Sedaka Dies at 86

Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka, the self-proclaimed “king of the tra-la-las and doo-be-dos,” has died. He was 86. “Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather,” his family said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. Sedaka’s hits include “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” “Stupid Cupid,” for Connie Francis, and “Love Will Keep Us Together,” for Captain and Tennille.

Sedaka was born in Brooklyn in 1939. Showing musical talent early on, Sedaka won a scholarship to Juilliard School of Music’s Preparatory Division for Children before hitting middle school. At 13, a neighbor heard him playing piano and introduced him to her son Howard Greenfield. The pair would go on to have a successful songwriting partnership for over two decades.

Sedaka and Greenfield began working at the famous Brill Building, alongside such songwriting legends as Neil Diamond and Carole King. Their first hit was Francis’s “Stupid Cupid,” which went to No. 17 on the Billboard “Hot 100.” They also wrote “Where the Boys Are” for Francis, which became one of her biggest hits.

Sedaka’s first No. 1 hit as a performer was 1962’s “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do.” “I was the king of the tra-la-las and doo-be-dos in the ’50s and ’60s,” he told Reuters in 2010. After doo-be-dos went out of style in the late ’60s, Sedaka focused on songwriting. He wrote songs for the Monkees, the 5th Dimension, and the Carpenters.

Sedaka moved to England in 1970, where he met Elton John. John signed Sedaka to his label, the Rocket Record Co., and released Sedaka’s Back in 1974. The album featured his second No. 1 hit, “Laughter in the Rain.” “I went from making $30,000 a year to $6 million a year with [that] song,” he said.

Over his career, Sedaka wrote and co-wrote over 700 songs, was nominated for five Grammys, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His family called Sedaka “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.”