Bobby Rydell, a music legend, died on April 5 at the age of 79. According to radio great Jerry Blavat, one of his lifelong pals, he died a few days before his 80th birthday.
Blavat stated:
“He had the nicest pipes and was the best performer of all the youngsters.” He was the kindest man, told the funniest tales, and did the finest impersonations.”
Bobby Rydell died as a result of a heart attack.
Bobby Rydell died on Tuesday at Abington Jefferson Hospital with pneumonia complications. There is no word on how long he was in the hospital. Rydell postponed an Australian tour in 2012 because his health worsened and he required emergency surgery.
In July 2012, he had a double organ transplant at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia to replace his liver and kidney. In January 2013, he returned to the stage in Las Vegas, six months after undergoing double transplant surgery. Rydell continued to act overseas, and in 2014, he returned to Australia for a tour.
Career
Bobby Rydell, born Robert Louis Ridarelli on April 26, 1942, began playing music at an early age. According to Variety, he began performing in nightclubs in the Philadelphia/South Jersey region when he was just seven years old. Rydell won a talent contest on the television program Paul Whiteman’s TV Teen Club in 1950. With his victory, he became a regular in the series.
Rydell went on to perform for a number of bands in and around Philadelphia. Soon after, he obtained a recording deal with Cameo Records, and his song, Kissin’ Time, reached the top of the charts in 1959. In 1963, the That Lady from Perking star recorded a song called Wildwood Days, which peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 rankings.
He rose to prominence for his role as Hugo Peabody in the 1963 musical romantic comedy picture Bye Bye Birdie. Rydell had several successes in the 1960s, all of which charted on the Billboard Hot 100. In his music career, he had 34 Top 100 singles, ranking him among the Top 5 artists of his period. His final major success was Forget Him, which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964.
Rydell then secured a record deal with Capitol Records. However, as a result of the British Invasion, some characters, like Rydell, lost appeal. Later in his career, he appeared on several television shows, including The Red Skelton Show, The Danny Thomas Show, Jack Benny, Joey Bishop, The George Burns Show, and The Milton Berle Show. Rydell also served in the 103rd Engineer Battalion of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Rydell obtained a recording deal with Reprise Records in 1968, according to the U.K. music magazine NME. Between the 1970s and 1980s, he performed at nightclubs, supper clubs, and Las Vegas venues.
Twitter users give their respects.
In the early 1960s, Bobby Rydell was a teen idol. He is still a well-known figure in the entertainment sector today. When his death was revealed, several admirers expressed their sorrow on Twitter:
RIP Bobby Rydell, a teen idol from the 1950s, and legend in Philadelphia & down the shore. He was nice enough to come on our show last fall to sing Happy Birthday to Ray.
— Glen Macnow (@RealGlenMacnow) April 5, 2022
Bobby Rydell was one of the biggest teen sensations in early American pop rock culture.
Taking advantage of Elvis in the military he along with Frankie Avalon and Fabian made that Philadelphia sound so sweet.
Here is his first big hit, Kissin’ Time. RIP pic.twitter.com/sAVguybOse
— Danny Deraney (@DannyDeraney) April 5, 2022
Rydell’s wife Linda Hoffman, two children from his former marriage to Camille Quattrone, and five grandkids survive him.
