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Legendary singer, Neil Sedaka, died on Friday, Feb. 27 at the age of 86.
“Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather,” his family said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “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.”
News of his death comes after reports first surfaced that the singer-songwriter was rushed to the hospital on Friday morning.
West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station personnel told Fox News Digital that deputies responded around 8 a.m., “regarding a medical request and a patient male adult was transported to a local hospital.”
Sedaka died at the age of 86. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Sedaka first rose to fame in the 1950s and ’60s, with hits such as “Oh Carol,” “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” and “Next Door to an Angel,” and is known as one of the original creators of the “Brill Building” sound, a sub-genre of pop music.
During this time, he and his partner, Howard Greenfield, also wrote hit songs for other artists, including “Stupid Cupid” and “Where the Boys Are” for Connie Francis, and “Love Will Keep Us Together,” for Captain & Tennille.
According to the musician’s website, his popularity began to fade due to The Beatles changing “the direction of American music,” but three albums released by Sedaka in the early 1970s caught the attention of Grammy Award-winning singer, Elton John, who went on to sign him to his record label, Rocket Records.
“It had been like Elvis coming up and giving us the chance to release his records,” John was quoted as saying at the time, according to the website. “We couldn’t believe our luck.”
John signed Sedaka to his record company in the 1970s. (Michael Putland/Getty Images)
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Throughout his six-decade career, Sedaka received five Grammy Award nominations, had number one hits on the Billboard charts and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1978.
In 2016, Sedaka released his 22nd studio album, “I Do It For Applause,” which he called “the culmination of sixty-four years of writing.”
“This is a gift I was born with,” he said on his website. “My main objective is to always top the last collection, raise the bar and reinvent Neil Sedaka.”
Sedaka is survived by, Leba, his wife of over 60 years, and their two children, Dara and Marc.
Sedaka called making music “the gift I was born with.” (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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During an interview on “The Bob Lefsetz Podcast” in January 2025, Sedaka recalled meeting his wife when he visited the hotel her mother owned in the Catskill Mountains with his band, and seeing her working behind the desk, calling it an “instant romance.”
“She was sixteen,” he explained. “She was behind the desk and I said to my friend, the trumpet player, ‘I’m going to marry that girl.’ She’s sixteen years old. I said, ‘She’s very pretty. I’m going to ask her for a date.'”
He then went on to try and “impress her” by telling her he had written “Stupid Cupid” for Francis, although she told him she had never heard it. “I saw her the next day and she said, ‘You were telling the truth. You are a songwriter,’ he said, and the rest is history. The two tied the knot in 1962 and are credited as having one of the most successful marriages in the entertainment industry.
Sedaka recalled meeting his wife when she was 16 years old. (Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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