Iconic singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka has died suddenly at 86, his family announced on Friday.
The Brooklyn native was taken by ambulance to a Los Angeles area hospital Friday morning because he wasn’t feeling well, according to TMZ. He died a short time later, though his cause of death is currently unclear.
“Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather, Neil Sedaka,” his family posted on Facebook. “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.”
Sedaka’s hit songs include “Oh! Carol,” “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” and “Laughter in the Rain.” His 1976 album “Steppin’ Out” is scheduled to be re-released on April 10 in celebration of its 50th anniversary.
On Tuesday, Sedaka shared a video of himself singing and playing piano while promoting the re-release.
“‘Good Times, Good Music, and Good Friends’ — that’s always been my philosophy!” he wrote, referencing the title of the song he was singing. “This phrase perfectly encapsulates the essence of what it means to enjoy life.”
Born on March 13, 1939, Sedaka found fame at an early age after attending Juilliard’s Preparatory Division for Children on a piano scholarship. Before establishing himself as a solo artist, Sedaka briefly performed with the Linc-Tones (later renamed The Tokens), then signed with the RCA Victor record label as a singer-songwriter when he was 19.
His mother reportedly wanted him to become a classical pianist but eventually gave in to his love of pop music after he received a five-figure royalty check for 1960’s “Calendar Girl.”
He went on to have a string of hits in the early ’60s and frequently found himself among the Top 20 on the pop charts. In 1962, “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” became his first No. 1 hit, spending two weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100.
The tune — widely considered to be his signature song — earned Sedaka a Grammy nomination for Best Roll & Roll Recording. In 1976, a slowed-down ballad version became another Top 10 hit and snagged him a Grammy nom for Song of the Year.
Sedaka was known to take inspiration from many sources for his music, but said in a 2022 interview that growing up in Brighton Beach may have helped his songwriting.
“We had a phenomenon — Carole King, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond lived across the street,” he told MSNBC. “I think there was something in the egg cream.”
Whatever it was, it led him to getting inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983, and later honored with the prestigious Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also awarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2006 became part of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.
In his later years, amid the COVID-19 lockdown, Sedaka maintained his relationship with fans — and discovered new ones — by regularly performing 15-minute concerts online.
Prior to his death, he said he took comfort in the idea of being outlived by his music.
“Songs I wrote 50, 60 years ago I hear on the radio [today], so it’s a form of immortality,” he said. “I leave it to my children and grandchildren. And the royalties go on until 70 years after my death, then it becomes public domain. That’s what I’m most proud of.”
Sedaka is survived by his wife, Leba Strassberg, whom he married in 1962. They shared two children, Marc and Dara.
