Neil Sedaka, the singer and songwriter behind pop classics such as Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, Oh! Carol, Calendar Girl and Bad Blood, has died at the age of 86. A representative confirmed his death on Friday, shortly after he was reportedly taken to a hospital in Los Angeles. No cause of death has been announced. “Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather, Neil Sedaka,” the family said. “A true rock and roll legend, an inspiration to millions, but most importantly, an incredible human being who will be deeply missed.” Born in 1939, Sedaka was a child prodigy at the piano. By the age of nine, he earned a scholarship to New York’s Juilliard School. “Music is so much a part of me: my parents told me that when I was an infant, I wouldn’t eat unless the radio was playing music,” he told the Guardian in 2012. Originally training to be a concert pianist, Sedaka soon discovered his gift for singing and writing pop songs. At 13, he met 16-year-old neighbor Howard Greenfield, forming a songwriting partnership that would last more than a decade. Sedaka was briefly invited to study at Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 1956, but the invitation was withdrawn after officials learned his name was linked to American rock and roll. Sedaka rose to fame as a teen idol during the pre-rock’n’roll era, producing hits like Oh! Carol, Calendar Girl, and Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen. He often joked that when they ran out of lyrics, he and Greenfield would simply use “doo-bee-doo.” Sedaka was part of the famous Brill Building scene in Manhattan, which also fostered talents like Paul Simon, Burt Bacharach, and Carole King, whom he dated in high school. Between 1959 and 1963, Sedaka sold over 25 million records and earned his first Grammy nomination in 1962. However, the arrival of the British Invasion and the Beatles nearly ended his career. “Between 1963 and 1975, I worked very little. The Beatles had come to New York and changed music – all the solo singers were out of work,” Sedaka said. In the 1970s, Sedaka signed briefly with Elton John’s Rocket label, reviving his career. He also penned hits for other artists, including Connie Francis’s Stupid Cupid and Captain & Tennille’s Love Will Keep Us Together. In 1973, he collaborated with ABBA to write English lyrics for Ring Ring, and his songs were performed by Rosemary Clooney, Patsy Cline, Engelbert Humperdinck, the Carpenters, and Cher. Sedaka enjoyed a career spanning six decades, performing and touring worldwide. Reflecting on fame in 2012, he said, “You do have to give up your privacy. But the good thing is that you can get a table in a restaurant or a seat at the theatre.” Neil Sedaka’s death marks the loss of a beloved pop music pioneer whose songs shaped generations. His legacy continues through the countless hits he wrote and performed, leaving an enduring mark on the world of music.