Pianist-Singer-Songwriter Neil Sedaka Dies

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On February 27, pianist, singer, and songwriter of many love songs, Neil Sedaka passed away at the age of 86.  The Sedaka family posted the following message on his website: “Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Neil Sedaka. A true rock and roll legend, an inspiration, 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…By the time he was nine, he had already begun his intensive classical piano training at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music attending both the Preparatory School and the College. At 16, Arthur Rubinstein voted Neil as the Best New York High School Pianist. Though Neil considered pursuing his Doctorate in music, Neil’s next choice became his chosen vocation. Eager to gain acceptance from his peers at Abraham Lincoln High School, Neil began performing Rock N Roll outside of his classical training. At this time, he would form the Doo-Wop group, The Tokens, in which they would record two singles that would go on to be regional hits. But it was his introduction to his young neighbor Howard Greenfield by Greenfield’s mother, that began one of the most prolific songwriting partnerships of the last half century that sold forty million records between 1959-1063.” His songs included: “Laughter in the Rain,” “Breaking Up is Hard to do,” “Stupid Cupid,” “Love Will Keep Us Together” and “Calendar Girl.” He wrote for Frank Sinatra (“The Hungry Years”), Elvis Presley(“Solitaire”), Tom Jones (“Puppet Man”), The Monkees (“When Love Comes Knocking at Your Door”), and Fifth Dimension (“Working on a Groovy Thing”). Sedaka said about his talent, “This gift I was born with. My main objective is to always top the last collection, raise the bar and reinvent, Neil Sedaka.” His childhood home was at Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, New York.  His long-term residence was on Park Avenue in New York City. He lived in England in the 1970s. The last place Neil lived was West Hollywood, California.   By Sharon