Neil Sedaka, the ’60s and ’70s hitmaker, has died at 86. His family said they were “devastated by the sudden loss” of the beloved husband, father, and grandfather, calling him a true rock and roll legend and an incredible human being.
Born in Brooklyn in 1939, Sedaka began his career in the late 1950s and rose to fame with classics like “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” “Oh! Carol,” “Calendar Girl,” and “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen.” Though the British Invasion slowed his momentum in the 1960s, he made a strong comeback in the 1970s with hits such as “Laughter in the Rain” and his work on “Love Will Keep Us Together.”
Over a seven-decade career, Sedaka wrote and recorded hundreds of songs, sold millions of records, and earned induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The cause of death has not been disclosed.