Neil Sedaka, singer of 'Breaking Up Is Hard to Do' and 'Oh! Carol', dies at 86

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Neil Sedaka, the beloved singer-songwriter who gave the world timeless hits like 'Breaking Up Is Hard to Do' and 'Oh! Carol', has died at the age of 86.

His family confirmed that he was taken to the hospital on Friday morning, February 27, and died later that day. The news was first reported by TMZ.

“Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather, Neil Sedaka,” the Sedaka family said in a statement to PEOPLE. His family has not disclosed his cause of death. 

From Brighton Beach piano prodigy to chart-topping star

Born in Brooklyn in 1939 and raised in Brighton Beach, Sedaka’s love for music started early. 

A teacher noticed his natural talent and wrote to his parents, urging them to buy him a piano. 

That small push changed his life. 

In a 1975 interview with PEOPLE, he said, “[I was] not accepted socially in Brooklyn. I was very little, wore braces and glasses and did not play baseball. I thought that the way to get invited to parties would be to write and sing pop music.”

At 13, he met lyricist Howard Greenfield, who was three years older. The two formed a songwriting partnership that would define an era. After high school, Sedaka briefly formed a band called The Linc-Tones before turning his focus to writing and recording.

Working out of the legendary Brill Building, Sedaka and Greenfield began crafting songs that would soon dominate the charts. In 1958, Connie Francis released their song 'Stupid Cupid', one of her first major hits. That same year, Sedaka released his own single, 'The Diary', inspired by Francis.

His 1959 track 'Oh! Carol' — a nod to songwriter Carole King, whom he dated in high school - became a breakout success.

Through the early 1960s, Sedaka’s voice was everywhere with hits like 'Calendar Girl', 'Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen', and the No. 1 smash 'Breaking Up Is Hard to Do', which would forever remain his signature song.

The British Invasion and a career setback

Like many American artists of the early ’60s, Sedaka’s chart run slowed when The Beatles ushered in the British Invasion. By the mid-1960s, tastes had shifted, and his brand of pop was pushed aside.

Still, he never stopped creating. He continued writing for other artists, including The Monkees and The 5th Dimension.

Reflecting on songwriting, he told Billboard in 2010, “I have a theory that there are three kinds of songwriting. The emotional is when you go through some trauma and get it out on the page. The intellectual writing is when you have a tune in your head spinning around for many years and you almost rewrite it. And the last is spiritual writing, which is something that comes from a higher power that kind of writes itself and you’re channeling.”

Reinvention in the UK and a powerful comeback

After his 1971 album ‘Emergence’ failed to connect, Sedaka moved to the UK. It proved to be a turning point. His 1973 album 'The Tra-La Days Are Over' featured 'Love Will Keep Us Together', which later became a No. 1 hit for Captain & Tennille.

He also co-wrote 'Ring Ring' for ABBA, marking the group’s first global hit and the title track of their 1973 debut album.

A major supporter during this period was Elton John, who signed Sedaka to his label, Rocket Record Company. 

“He absolutely re-invented my career,” Sedaka told Forward in 2012.

The 1974 release of 'Sedaka's Back' reintroduced him to American audiences.

He soared to No. 1 again on the Billboard Hot 100 with 'Laughter in the Rain'. His song 'Bad Blood' topped the charts the following year, and a slower version of 'Breaking Up Is Hard to Do' returned to the Top 10.

Over the decades, Sedaka released more than 25 studio albums. A five-time Grammy nominee, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1978, and a street in Brighton Beach was renamed “Neil Sedaka Way” in his honor.

In 2011, he told Syracuse.com, “I work very hard for it. It’s more than luck. I think it’s really trying to fit into the culture of the time. You try to be as contemporary as you can. I can’t change the voice.”

A family man behind the music

Sedaka married Leba Strassberg in 1962, and the couple shared two children, Dara and Marc.

Dara later appeared on some of her father’s recordings in the 1980s, and the pair performed the duet 'Should’ve Never Let You Go'.

Through highs and lows, reinventions and revivals, Sedaka remained a steady presence in pop music.

He kept performing into his later years and often shared videos on Instagram, connecting with generations who grew up on his songs.