Neil Sedaka

Neil Sedaka (March 13, 1939 — February 27, 2026) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Beginning his music career in 1957, he sold millions of records worldwide and wrote or co-wrote over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard Greenfield and Phil Cody.

After a short-lived tenure as a founding member of the doo-wop group the Tokens, Sedaka achieved a string of hit singles over the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Oh! Carol" (1959), "Calendar Girl" (1960), "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" (1961), and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (1962). His popularity declined by the mid-1960s, but revived in the mid-1970s, solidified by the 1975 US Billboard Hot 100 number ones "Laughter in the Rain" and "Bad Blood".

Sedaka maintained a successful career as a songwriter, penning hits for other artists, including "Stupid Cupid" (Connie Francis), "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" (Tony Christie), and "Love Will Keep Us Together" (Captain & Tennille). As a performer, he had ten No. 1 hits and four as a songwriter. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983 and continued to perform, mounting mini-concerts on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sedaka was hospitalized in Los Angeles after experiencing an undisclosed medical emergency and later died on February 27, 2026, aged 86.

Neil Sedaka is known for work in acting across film and television. New Release currently presents 28 verified screen credits connected to this profile.

Selected work includes Food Rocks (1994), Pebble Mill (1991), Musikladen (1972), Instant Love (1964), The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), The Mike Douglas Show (1961), Saturday Night Live (1975), The View (1997). The recorded credits span 1948 to 2014, including 2 movies and 26 TV shows.

The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles. This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.