According to a statement released by his representatives, Bobby Rydell, a teen idol from the ’60s known for songs like “Wild One” and his role as Hugo Peabody in the 1963 film “Bye Bye Birdie,” has died. He was 79.
Bobby Rydell died on April 5 in Abington, Pennsylvania, and the reason for his death was pneumonia complications, which were unrelated to Covid-19, the statement said.
According to the statement, Born Robert Ridarelli, In 1959, Bobby Rydell got his first song on the Billboard 100 and went on to have a career that included 34 top 100 hits and more than 25,000,000 album sales.
Between 1959 to 1964, Bobby Rydell had nearly three dozen Top 40 singles, including “The Cha-Cha-Cha,” “Wild One,” “Volare,” “Forget Him,” and “Wildwood Days,” a song of consolation for a bereft girl that helped inspire the Beatles’ classic “She Loves You.”
Bobby Rydell opened up about receiving a double organ transplant in 2012 in his 2016 biography “Teen Idol on the Rocks: A Tale of Second Chances,” he was an advocate for organ donation and supporter of The Gift Life. This nonprofit group helps families impacted by organ transplants.
According to the statement, Bobby Rydell is survived by his wife, Linda J. Hoffman, daughter Jennifer Dulin, son Robert Ridarelli, and his five grandchildren.
