Entertainment
Neil Sedaka, singer whose hits included “Laughter in the Rain,” dies at 86
Neil Sedaka, the prominent singer-songwriter whose string of hits in the 1960s and ’70s included “Laughter in the Rain,” “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” and “Calendar Girl,” has died, a representative confirmed to CBS News on Friday. He was 86.
“Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather, Neil Sedaka,” a statement from the family read. “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.”
A cause of death was not immediately available.
Scott Dudelson / Getty Images
A key member of the Brill Building songwriting factory, Sedaka teamed with lyricist and boyhood neighbor Howard Greenfield on songs that reflected the teen innocence of the post-Elvis/pre-Beatles era of the late 1950s-early 1960s, including “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen,” “Calendar Girl” and “Oh! Carol,” a lament for his high school sweetheart, Carole King.
Sedaka was a Juilliard-trained, Brooklyn-born son of a Jewish taxi driver who began performing as a teen and kept at it for decades. His talent was recognized by a second-grade teacher who urged his homemaker mother, Eleanor, to buy him a piano. At 9 years old, Sedaka had already begun intensive classical piano training at the Juilliard School.
Sedaka loved songwriting and never quit, but he craved performing.
“Once a performer, always a performer. It’s that adrenaline rush. It’s like a natural high when you’re in front of an audience, and if you get that standing ovation, it’s infectious,” he once told The Associated Press.
At 16, Sedaka was chosen by legendary pianist Arthur Rubinstein in a contest as the city’s best high school piano student and performed on a classical radio station as a prize. It was the same year he discovered rock ‘n’ roll, when he performed a song, “Mr. Moon,” he had written with Greenfield, his classmate at Abraham Lincoln High School.
In 1958, at age 19, Sedaka signed with RCA Victor Records and his first single, “The Diary,” enjoyed modest success. He began touring and promoting his songs through regular TV appearances on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand” and “Shindig!”
At the Brill Building, Sedaka and Greenfield were joined by other up-and-coming writers and lyricists including King, Neil Diamond and Paul Simon.
From 1959 to 1962, Sedaka had 10 records in the Top 10, including “Calendar Girl,” “Oh! Carol,” “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen” and “Next Door to an Angel.” But in the mid-1960s, the Brill Building sound, influenced by the doo-wop groups of the New York City streets, was pushed off the charts by the Beatles-led British Invasion and the psychedelic and protest music that followed. Sedaka would endure 13 years “in the wilderness,” as he described it to the AP.
After a long dry spell, he reemerged with such smashes as “Laughter in the Rain” and “Bad Blood.” The Captain & Tennille’s cover of his “Love Will Keep Us Together” was a chart-topper in 1975.
Sedaka told “CBS This Morning” in 2012 that Elton John rediscovered him in the 1970s when he was trying to start his record company. John signed him to his fledgling, U.S.-based Rocket Records label, providing him a chance at more hits with the album “Sedaka’s Back.”
Of the time between jobs, Sedaka said, “The creative mind is still working and it’s a drive. You have you to prove yourself each time. You have to raise the level of Neil Sedaka. You have to top yourself.”
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic 
At Rocket Records, Sedaka and a new writing partner, Philip Cody, topped charts with “Bad Blood” and the joyous “Laughter in the Rain.” He also achieved a rare feat with “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do.” His original up-tempo version went No. 1 in 1962. He re-recorded it as a slow ballad in 1975, and that, too, went No. 1.
Sedaka was nominated for five Grammy awards throughout his career. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, but the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame eluded him despite a fan petition drive.
He still played dozens of concerts a year well into his 80s. Sedaka retained the enthusiasm and broad vocal range of his youth and never tired of the standards he had sung hundreds of times.
“Past 70, Pavarotti told me the vocal cords are not what they used to be. I’m very fortunate that my voice has held,” he told The Associated Press in 2012. “It’s nice to be a legend, but it’s better to be a working legend.”
Sedaka’s songs sold millions worldwide and have been covered by a range of performers, from Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to The 5th Dimension and Nickelback.
Sedaka helped propel the career of Connie Francis with “Stupid Cupid” and “Where the Boys Are,” the latter for the soundtrack of the movie with the same name. The Captain & Tennille received a best-album Grammy thanks largely to “Love Will Keep Us Together” and included a nod to Sedaka at the end of the song, when Toni Tennille exclaimed: “Sedaka’s back!”
Sedaka is survived by his wife, Leba Strassberg, whom he married in 1962, and his two children, Dara and Marc.
- PM Shehbaz briefs Zardari on peace negotiation progress.
- Zardari urges continued engagement with global powers.
- PM, DPM, CDF praised for diplomatic coordination efforts.
In a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari lauded Pakistan’s untiring efforts in making the diplomatic initiative of hosting peace negotiations between Iran and the United States a great success.
Islamabad emerged as a key mediator in the US-Iran conflict after PM Shehbaz helped secure a two-week ceasefire on April 8. Following the temporary truce, delegations from Washington and Tehran arrived in Islamabad at his invitation and held over 20 hours of negotiations over the weekend.
However, despite the extended talks and intensive diplomatic engagement, the discussions concluded without reaching a final agreement.
The conflict, which began on February 28 following coordinated US-Israeli strikes targeting Iran’s leadership and infrastructure, has resulted in more than 2,000 deaths and widespread regional instability. Tehran responded with retaliatory operations, including the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on Israeli and US targets in the region.
The international community has broadly welcomed Pakistan’s diplomatic role, backing its efforts to de-escalate Middle East tensions and facilitate negotiations aimed at achieving lasting peace.
In today’s meeting at Aiwan-e-Sadr, President Zardari and PM Shehbaz reviewed the prevailing security and diplomatic situation in the region, noting its far-reaching implications for global security, economic stability, and geopolitical dynamics.
The prime minister briefed the president in detail on the stages of the US-Iran dialogue, progress achieved through Pakistan’s mediation, and his upcoming visits to Saudi Arabia and Turkiye aimed at further advancing peace efforts.
President Zardari praised PM Shehbaz, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and all state institutions for their sustained diplomatic efforts in facilitating peace negotiations, calling the initiative a notable success in advancing regional stability.
He noted that the seamless coordination between all stakeholders was instrumental in facilitating this high-level engagement.
The president highlighted the historic role Pakistan has played in promoting global peace and regional stability.
He remarked that by providing a platform for such a critical dialogue, Pakistan has reaffirmed its position as a responsible and pivotal state in the international community and proved its peace making credentials to the world once more.
President Zardari said that PM Shehbaz and DPM Dar should remain proactively engaged with Washington and Tehran, as well as major regional and global powers, to ensure the sustainability of the peace process and regional harmony.
The meeting was attended by the DPM Dar and PM’s Adviser on Political Affairs Senator Rana Sanaullah, while the president was assisted by former premier Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Parliamentary Leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Senate Sherry Rehman and former Senate chairman Nayyar Bukhari.
Kim Kardashian is expanding her résumé yet again, making her Broadway producing debut with The Fear of 13.
Kardashian has joined the producing team of The Fear of 13, a stage adaptation of the 2015 documentary about Nick Yarris, who spent 22 years on death row before being exonerated through DNA evidence.
Starring Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson, the play explores wrongful conviction and systemic failures in the justice system.
“For the past decade, criminal justice reform has been a deeply personal mission of mine,” Kardashian said in a statement.
“I couldn’t be prouder to make my Broadway producing debut with a project that carries such vital weight.”
The move builds on her advocacy work and her recent acting turn in Ryan Murphy’s All’s Fair, where she starred alongside Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts, and Niecy Nash-Betts.
Meanwhile her personal life is also drawing attention after a high-profile outing with Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton at Coachella 2026.
Offstage, Kardashian’s relationship with Lewis Hamilton is making headlines.
The pair, who reportedly began dating earlier this year, were spotted together at Coachella 2026 during Justin Bieber’s headlining set.
Kardashian, dressed in a sleek black bodysuit and leather pants, kept a low profile with a scarf, while Hamilton stayed close by her side.
Adding to the buzz, Kardashian’s daughter North West joined them, making the outing a family affair.
The face of Irish folk music, Moya Brennan, Clannad star has died at age 73.
Brennan was widely recognized as the voice of Celtic Ireland.
The singer, harpist and songwriter passed away in Donegal surrounded by her loved ones.
Moya Brennan, who was the face of Irish music, best known as part of the Irish family band, which emerged in the 1970s and later won a Bafta and a Grammy for their folk albums.
She was born in West Donegal as Maire Philomena on August 5, 1952, the eldest of nine children in the famous O’Braonain family.
Moya Brennan rose to fame when she started performing with her family in Clannad.
Moya and her siblings, Pol and Ciaran, along with their twin uncles Noel and Padraig O Dugain, started singing regularly at the family’s pub in Min na Leice.
The band went by the name Clan as Dobhar (Family from Dore) but shortened their name to Clannad in 1973.
Their big breakthrough arrived in 1982, when their theme buzzing song for the TV series Harry’s Game became a worldwide sensation.
For context, it was the first Irish-language track to reach the UK charts, which they performed on Top of the Pops.
The song won an Ivor Novello Award, with a Grammy and a Billboard Music Award later coming its way.
Clannad didn’t stop there, they again crashed the charts with another number one duet with Bono, Once In a Lifetime.
The band would go on to release 25 albums and sell 20 million records globally.
She is survived by her husband, Tim Jarvis, and their two children, Aisling and Paul.
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