Famed Jewish pop music icon Neil Sedaka passed away on Friday in Los Angeles at the age of 86, according to a report by The New York Times. His death was confirmed by his publicist, Victoria Varela. Sedaka was reportedly taken to a hospital on Friday morning, but no further details were immediately provided, as per the NYT report.
He was a defining pop songwriter and performer of the late 1950s and early 1960s, co-writing and performing teenage anthems such as "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," "Calendar Girl," and "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen."
Sedaka also wrote major hits for other artists, including "Stupid Cupid" and "Where the Boys Are" for Connie Francis, and later "Love Will Keep Us Together" for Captain and Tennille.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Sedaka was deeply influenced by the borough's Jewish culture, which played a significant role in the early history of rock and roll. The NYT cited a 2012 interview with the Jewish newspaper The Forward, in which Sedaka reminisced about his contemporaries, including Carole King, whom he dated in high school, Neil Diamond, who lived across the street, and others like Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow, who shared similar influences.
“We all lived in Brooklyn,” he recalled. “It was a wonderful time. It must have been something in the egg cream. We used to hang out in the sweet shop and have egg creams and potato knishes.”
A classical music prodigy
The NYT called Sedaka a classical music prodigy. He received a Juilliard preparatory scholarship at age 9 and performed works by Debussy and Prokofiev as a child. He began writing pop songs as a teenager with lyricist Howard Greenfield, eventually becoming part of the Brill Building songwriting scene in Manhattan. By the early 1960s, Sedaka had become a major pop star, selling more than 25 million records between 1959 and 1963, with "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" reaching No. 1 in 1962.
His career declined sharply after the British Invasion, leaving him labeled as an "oldies act" while still in his 20s. However, he reinvented his career in the 1970s, moving to England and later returning to prominence after Elton John signed him to Rocket Records. Sedaka scored multiple No. 1 hits in the 1970s, including "Laughter in the Rain" and "Bad Blood," and re-recorded "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" as a ballad, which again reached the Top 10.
He continued performing into his 80s and later returned to classical composition, writing a symphonic work and a piano concerto. Sedaka is survived by his wife, Leba; his daughter, Dara, a singer and collaborator; and his son, Marc, a screenwriter.
He remained passionate about performing until the end, describing the thrill of live music as transformative, even in later life.