Neil Sedaka: An appreciation

Neil Sedaka, the Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter behind hits such as "Oh, Carol" and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," died at age 86 after a 70-year career.

Neil Sedaka, a Brooklyn-born singer and songwriter, died at age 86 on Friday after a 70-year career. He first drew notice as a child prodigy and earned a scholarship to the Juilliard preparatory school. At 13 he met lyricist Howard Greenfield and the pair wrote several early teen-pop hits. Sedaka reached No. 1 in 1962 with "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," later faced a decline in popularity after 1963, and mounted a comeback in the 1970s with the album "Sedaka's Back." Notable details: - Sedaka wrote and performed early hits including "Oh, Carol," "Calendar Girl," and "Stupid Cupid." - Between 1958 and 1963 he sold an estimated 40 million records. - He had his first No. 1 single in 1962 with "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do." - After about 13 years off the charts, he returned in the 1970s; "Sedaka's Back" (1974) and the No. 1 single "Laughter in the Rain" marked that revival, and his song "Love Will Keep Us Together" became a major hit for Captain and Tennille. - In 1976 a slower reworking of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" reached the charts again as a hit. Summary: Sedaka’s songs spanned multiple eras of popular music and remained widely recognized across generations. Undetermined at this time.