Neil Sedaka, 'Breaking Up Is Hard to Do' Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 86

Neil Sedaka, the singer-songwriter with a more than 70-year career, died Friday in L.A, TMZ reports. He was 86.

He had been rushed to a hospital earlier in the day after feeling unwell.

His family posted on his official Facebook page, where he had been giving short musical performances routinely until recently:

“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 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.”

Sedaka was born in NYC in 1939, growing up in Brighton Beach.

He won a Juilliard scholarship as a child and devoted himself to playing classical music, which thrilled his mother. Post-high school, he was drawn to pop in the pre-rock era.

After performing with a group made up of high school friends called he Linc-Tones, he went solo in 1957.

With his first solo single, "The Diary" — which he based on good friend Connie Francis — he achieved a Top 15 hit. Subsequent singles convinced RCA Victor to sign him and groom him as a teen idol.

After some expensive bombs, and with Sedaka on the verge of being dropped, he studied the day's biggest hits and delivered "Oh! Carol" in 1959, a Top 10 hit single named after his ex-girlfriend, songwriter Carole King.

That same year, he wrote "Stupid Cupid" for Connie Francis, and in 1961 he penned her signature song, "Where the Boys Are."

For himself, Sedaka visited the Top 10 with "Stairway to Heaven" (1960), "Calendar Girl" (1961), "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" (1961), and "Next Door to an Angel" (1962) around this time, recording what became his own signature song, "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do." It hit the top of the charts in 1962.

Soon, his style of music became passé, overwhelmed by the British Invasion.

While still successful abroad, he reclaimed his U.S. success after meeting Elton John, then at the top of the music industry, and being signed to his label.

In quick succession, he had a Top 40 hit with "That's When the Music Takes Me" (1972); no. 1 smashes with "Laughter in the Rain" (1974) and "Bad Blood" (1975); a unique hit via a slowed-down take on "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" that earned him the distinction of being the only artist ever to hit the Top 10 with two totally different versions of his own song; and another big hit in "Love in the Shadows" (1976).

After his run with Elton John soured, he had one more Top 40 hit, "Should've Never Let You Go," a duet with his daughter Dara Sedaka, in 1980.

Since then, Sedaka had been a world-class touring artist and very active on social media.

In 2025, when Connie Francis died, he gave a heart-tugging performance of "Where the Boys Are," urging her family to remember she would always be with them. It is a performance that feels all the more meaningful today.

Sedaka is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Leba; their children Marc and Dara; and their three grandchildren.