Music Legend Neil Sedaka Dies at 86

Before his own string of hits, Neil Sedaka co-wrote the 1958 chart-topper "Stupid Cupid" for Connie Francis with his neighbor, Howard Greenfield. Their partnership, forged in their teens, became a powerhouse at the famed Brill Building, which also housed iconic songwriters like Carole King and Paul Simon. Sedaka’s 1959 hit "Oh! Carol" was an ode to his high school girlfriend and fellow songwriter, Carole King. In response, King, with her then-husband Gerry Goffin, playfully penned "Oh! Neil". Between 1959 and 1962, Sedaka landed 10 records in the Top 10, including "Calendar Girl" and "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen". The arrival of The Beatles and the "British Invasion" in 1964 marked a sharp decline in Sedaka's solo career. Though his own records stopped selling, he continued to write for other major artists, including Frank Sinatra ("The Hungry Years"), Elvis Presley ("Solitaire"), and The Monkees. A major career resurgence came in the mid-1970s, championed by Elton John, who signed Sedaka to his label, The Rocket Record Company. This led to a string of new hits, including two U.S. No. 1s in 1975: "Laughter in the Rain" and "Bad Blood," the latter featuring uncredited backing vocals by Elton John himself. That same year, the Captain & Tennille's cover of his song "Love Will Keep Us Together" became the best-selling single of the year and won a Grammy for Record of the Year. The duo gave a nod to his return to prominence by singing "Sedaka's back!" in the song's fadeout. Sedaka made music history when a slowed-down, ballad version of his 1962 upbeat hit "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" also reached the top of the charts in 1975. This made him the first artist to record two different versions of the same song and have both become No. 1 hits. Over his career, Sedaka wrote or co-wrote more than 500 songs and sold millions of records worldwide. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.