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Tributes paid after death of legendary ‘Breaking Up Is Hard To Do’ singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka, age 86: “A rare talent”

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Tributes paid after death of legendary ‘Breaking Up Is Hard To Do’ singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka, age 86: “A rare talent”

Neil Sedaka, the singer-songwriter known for hits like ‘Breaking Up Is Hard To Do’ and ‘Oh! Carol’, has died at the age of 86.

The news was confirmed on Friday (February 27) by his family, who wrote in a statement: “Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather.”

“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,” they added.

Sedaka was one of the key songwriters in the legendary ‘Brill Building’ hit factory in New York in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, achieving fame with his own hits as well as with songs he wrote for other artists.

His own string of US Top Ten singles included ‘Oh! Carol’ (1959), ‘Stairway To Heaven’ (1960), ‘Calendar Girl’ (1961) and ‘Breaking Up Is Hard To Do’ (1962), while he was also the songwriter behind Connie Francis’ ‘Stupid Cupid’, Tony Christie’s ‘(Is This The Way To) Amarillo’ and Captain & Tenille’s ‘Love Will Keep Us Together’.

He was born on March 12, 1939 in Brooklyn and was a student at the esteemed Juilliard School of Music from a young age. He met his songwriting partner Howard Greenfield at the age of 13, and by the end of the ‘50s, they were rubbing shoulders in New York with fellow songwriters such as Carole King (who Sedaka briefly dated in high school), Neil Diamond, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.

After his own pop career stalled, he pivoted to writing primarily for other artists, including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones and The Monkees. After a dip at the end of the ‘60s, the ‘70s saw a number of revivals in Sedaka’s fortunes, including collaborations with Elton John and ABBA.

He relocated to Stockport in the early ‘70s and worked at Strawberry Studios, which was run by four musicians that would go on to form 10cc: Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. They played on and produced material that would see Sedaka score hits again, notably ‘Solitaire’ in 1972.

Sedaka continued to work and tour until officially retiring in 2022, and he sold his song catalogue to Primary Wave Music two years later.

Among those to pay tribute to Sedaka were The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz, who wrote: “I was saddened to hear of Neil Sedaka’s passing. A rare talent, he gave us many hits and co-wrote “When Love Comes Knocking at Your Door” with Carole Bayer Sager, beloved by Monkees fans too. My thoughts are with his family and all who cherished his music.”

Pat Boone, a contemporary of Sedaka’s and one of the biggest stars of his era, posted a video on social media and wrote: “I’m saddened by the news of Neil Sedaka’s passing. We grew up in the business and stayed in touch through all the years. He was a guest on my SiriusXM show and we recently just met up at the diner down the street and reminisced like old friends do. Neil wrote and recorded so many great hit songs – his grand music legacy will live on forever.”

See a range of other tributes here:

Sedaka is survived by his wife Leba Strassberg, whom he married in 1962, and his two children, Marc and Dara.

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