The street on which he was born in Philadelphia was renamed Bobby Rydell Boulevard, in his honour. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Mr. Rydell was born Robert Louis Ridarelli on April 26, 1942, to Adrio and Jennie (Sapienza) Ridarelli. His main source of income is from his career as an actor and singer. It didnt hurt that Dick Clarks American Bandstand was broadcast in those years from Philadelphia, the home of Mr. Rydells label, Cameo Records. Bobby Rydell at homein Penn Valley, April 2016//Photo by Gene Smirnov. He continued to perform for the rest of his life. During the 1960s, Rydell had numerous hit records on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [19], Rydell was married to his first wife, Camille Quattrone Ridarelli, for 35 years, from 1968 until her death in 2003. Anyone can read what you share. Part of the Philadelphia music scene which also spawned Frankie Avalon and Fabian, Rydell was undoubtedly the most talented of the teen idols. Rydell died of complications from pneumonia . But if any of us Italiancrooners wanted to distance ourselvesfrom the image of a mob-backed Italian singer, it became almost impossible after my fellow SouthPhiladelphian, Al Martino, played Johnny Fontane in The Godfather. In the 1980s, he joined a trio called The Golden Boys, with fellow former teen idols Frankie Avalon and Fabian Forte. [5], His second success was "We Got Love". Bobby Rydell was a rock and roll singer and actor who was a teen idol in the 1960s. Rydell died of complications from pneumonia at a hospital in a suburb of his hometown of Philadelphia, according to a statement posted by his marketing and event coordinator Maria Novey. "That hasn't changed. Bobby Rydell was a rock and roll singer and actor who was a "teen idol" in the 1960s. Along with James Darren, Fabian and Frankie Avalon, Rydell was among a wave of wholesome teen idols who emerged after Elvis Presley and before the rise of the Beatles. On April 5, 2022, TMZ revealed that Bobby passed away at the age of 79. In February 1961, he appeared at the Festival du Rock at the Palais des Sports de Paris in Paris, France. One night, they were booked as the opening act at a very popular club in Somers Point, N.J., called Bayshores. The song, written by Tony Hatch, was his fifth and final gold disc winner. It wasnt a down-on-my-knees moment, but I proposed and gave her an engagement ring. "Sad to hear the passing of Bobby Rydell. This sent him into a major depression that he treated by drinking excess amounts of alcohol. Bobby Rydell played in several bands in the Philadelphia area, including Rocco and the Saints, in which he sang and played drums. He tells a few stories, some jokes. I would have been more than happy with just a quickhand-shake, but Frank smiled at me and said, How ya doin, Robert. [18] He had one more hit after 1965, a disco re-recording of "Sway", which reached the Billboard Easy Listening chart in 1976. Hes an entertainer in the old-fashioned mold. In January 1968, it was announced in the UK music magazine NME that Rydell had signed a long-term recording contract with Reprise Records. After an agonizingly uncomfortable minute of silence, Louie returned to the table, smiled, gave me a hug and kissed me on the cheek. Bobby Rydell, a pompadoured heartthrob of early rock 'n roll who was a star of radio, television and the movie musical "Bye Bye Birdie," died Tuesday. Yeah, when I first hit, I bought myself a few trinkets that were out of reach for the average Joe. After a number of song hits, including "Wild One" and "Volare", he starred in Bye Bye Birdie (1963) before hitting the nightclub circuit. It was here that his name was Anglicised to Bobby Rydell. They included his most popular successes: "Wild One" (his highest scoring single, at number 2), "Volare" (number 4), "Swingin' School" (number 5), "Kissin' Time" (number 11), "Sway" (number 14), "I've Got Bonnie" (number 18), and "The Cha-Cha-Cha" (number 10). The block of 11th Street where he grew up was christened Bobby Rydell Boulevard by his hometown in 1995. Ten years after his liver and kidney transplants, on April 5, 2022, and at the age of 79, Bobby Rydell died from an infection in his lungs at Jefferson Abington Hospital. I woke the next morning to see afront-page picture in the Philadelphia Inquirer of Camille andme walking down the steps of the church with close to onethousand of my fans in the street throwing rice at us as weentered a Rolls-Royce Silver Phantom limo. I ended up getting lines with De Niro, Rydell says, smiling broadly. But five months later, he underwent cardiac bypass surgery. Frank, he said, Iwant you to meet the kid.. Bobby tied the knot with his second wife, Linda Hoffman, on January 17, 2009. A lot of Italian singers from my eraand probably a decade or two beforewere rumored to have mob affiliations or mob backing. It was Rydell's first dramatic acting role. Over the course of his recording career he placed 19 singles in the Billboard Top 40 and 34 in the Hot 100. Rydell got his big break in 1959 on "American Bandstand," which originally was broadcast from Philadelphia. Pogo is currently the longest resident at Sumter County Animal Services and needs a home. Accompanied by Philly DJ Georgie Woods (the guy with the goods), a few dancing girls, and a trio that featured Carl Mottola on drums, Frankie Day on bass, and jazz keyboardist JimmyWisner playing accordion, we flew out on a military transport on January 30th and arrived 9,000 miles later at Tan Son Nhut air base. By this point, the British Invasion had arrived and acts such as Rydell suffered a dramatic decline in popularity. Published by The Hunterdon County Democrat on Apr. Loved him in Bye Bye Birdie. ; it was Rydells first dramatic acting role. We'd planned an "answering song" where a couple of us would sing "she loves you" and the other ones would answer "yeah yeah". Dont worry, thats outgoing, not incoming, one Marine told me. Within three weeks, it was the No. Before he graced the covers of teen magazines and movie screens, Rydell made his bones as a youngster in Philadelphia clubs. It occupied a place of honor in our living room. Rydell, who credited a 2012 kidney and liver transplant with extending his life, was 79. Im pretty sure they were his bodyguards. A polished performer by the age of 19, he was the youngest person ever to headline the famous Copacabana in New York. Ann-Margret, right, and Bobby Rydell dance during a scene from "Bye Bye Birdie" on the movie set in Los Angeles on Sept. 14, 1962. Robert L. Ridarelli, a low- ranking soldier with a crew cut making $85a month. Bobby Rydell, a pompadoured heartthrob of early rock 'n roll who was a star of radio, television, and the movie musical "Bye Bye Birdie," died Tuesday of complications from . Hes still on a high from a show two days earlier in a packed ballroom at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, Harry and Meghan evicted from Frogmore Cottage by King Charles after Spare memoir, Amy Nuttall caught cheating hubby when he bought sexy lingerie, Constance Marten and lover arrested over manslaughter, Woman found murdered is missing mum who had not been seen since before Xmas, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. [19] His autobiography was published in 2016. Goodbye, Bobby Rydell. A cause of death was not stated when his passing was announced. He plays AC, heads to Florida, and was even in Australia two years agofor the 23rd time. Cameo was started in 1956 by songwriters Bernie Lowe andKal Mann in the basement of Bernies West Oak Lane home. Up walks this very dapper-lookinggentleman oozing power and charisma. "We weren't out to prove anything. Now 73 and a survivor of a 2012 operation that left him with a new kidney and liver, Rydell is happy and committed to being onstage as long as the chops are still working., Rydell made the charts in 1959 with Kissin Time, earning 11 Top 20 hits over the next five years. To avoid rejection of his kidney and liver transplants, he had to take drugs to suppress his immune system, and on April 5, 2022, 10 years after his transplants, he died of pneumonia, an infection in his lungs. His singing career lasted for decades (above, left and right), and he is often remembered for dancing alongside Ann-Margret in the film . As news of Bobby's death circulated in the press, fans of. In 1995, the city of Philadelphia held a ceremony to designate South 11th Street, where he grew up, as Bobby Rydell Boulevard. He continued to tour up until his death in 2022. Born Robert Ridarelli on April 26, 1942, the star died on April 5, just weeks shy of what would . Per an announcement made on his official Facebook page, Rydell's death has been attributed to pneumonia. In the early 1960s, he was considered a teen idol. In 2012, he told CBS Phillythat, prior to undergoing a liver-kidney transplant, his doctor had predicted he had "maybe a month" to live. I wasnt going to blow it a second time. On October 6, 1964, he made a guest appearance on the episode "Duel" of the television series Combat!. hide caption. Rydell may be gone, but he certainly won't be forgotten anytime soon. As news of Bobby's death circulated in the press, fans of his music took to social media platforms to pay tribute to the late singer. We just said to ourselves, 'Here are three Italian kids from South Philadelphia, born and raised within two blocks of each other. On July 9, 2012, Bobby underwent a double organ transplant. [4], Rydell played in several bands in the Philadelphia area, including Rocco and the Saints, in which he sang and played drums. BOBBY Rydell was a music superstar who garnered a following during the 1960s. [20], The street on which he was born in Philadelphia was renamed Bobby Rydell Boulevard, in his honor. He grew up in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood of South Philadelphia. No specific song title is given in The Beatles Anthology, but Bob Spitz writes in The Beatles: The Biography that McCartney originally modeled She Loves You on the Rydell answering song called Swingin School (and not Forget Him, as is commonly cited). In 2012 he was told It didnt take them long to come up with the song thatwould kick-start my career. For the first time, Ihad some doubts. Linda Hoffman is a cardiac sonographer who met Bobby in October 2007. [4], Rydell cancelled a 2012 Australia tour because his health had deteriorated significantly and he was in need of urgent major surgery. Bobby Rydells cause of death was pneumonia. Wed planned an answering song where a couple of us would sing she loves you and the other ones would answer yeah yeah. One of them came from FrankieAvalon, and would prove to be a turning point for me. He will be dearly missed.". For all I knew, Cameo was considering dropping me after Id struck out three straight times. 11 on the Billboard chart. But FrankieDay and my mother still picked out my clothes, and I was still living with my parents in my grandparents tiny row home. I moved my parents, grandparents, and myself out of South Philly and into a newhome in suburban Penn Valley. Some of his later appearances were charity promotions for organ donation. They included his most popular successes: Wild One (his highest scoring single, at number 2), Volare (number 4), Swingin School (number 5), Kissin Time (number 11), Sway (number 14), Ive Got Bonnie (number 18), and The Cha-Cha-Cha (number 10). RIP Bobby Rydell. He really went out of his way to make me feela part of his entourage, and then posed for a picture with me and signed a copy of my Live at the Copa album. I sang the hell out of that tune, but the records success wasnt all because of me. Instead of the short walk around the corner to see Camille, the new lifeline of our relationship was a 10-milecar ride on the Schuylkill Expressway. After releasing three unsuccessful singles for small companies, he signed a recording contract with Cameo Records. Meanwhile, Tommy James of Tommy James and the Shondells shared via Twitter that he was "deeply saddened by the loss of Bobby Rydell, a good friend and one of my idols. Bobby Rydell, one of the first music idols to spur teen fandom in the Fifties and Sixties, has died at age 79. Born Robert Ridarelli on April 26, 1942, the star died on April 5, just weeks shy of what would have been his 80th birthday. Bobby Rydell reclines on a couch in his sports-themed basement in Penn Valley, a lit Winston purring in his right hand. 1 marketing tool in popularmusic at the time: Dick Clarks American Bandstand. His entourage for the night included Joe DiMaggio, songwriters Sammy Cahn andJimmy Van Heusen, and actor Richard Conti. As the Facebook statement pointed out, at the time, "he became the youngest singer to perform" at the famed establishment. Accept. Robert Louis Ridarelli[1] (April 26, 1942 April 5, 2022), known by the stage name Bobby Rydell /radl/, was an American singer and actor who mainly performed rock and roll and traditional pop music. When he was 9, Bobby appeared on the bandleader Paul Whitemans amateur talent show, TV Teen Club, on Philadelphia television and went on to become a regular on the show for three years. How much was Bobby Rydell worth? Rydell and Ann-Margret were in attendance at the restoration premiere in Beverly Hills by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. We have details. ), He also recalled that in 1963, in England, the Beatles climbed onto his tour bus to meet him. He won the contest, and the shows presenter, Paul Whiteman, recruited him into the cast, where he remained for several years. "Bobby Rydell was truly everything you could want from a performer. In a radio interview in 2013 in Hamilton, Ontario, Mr. Rydell explained why he hadnt stayed in Hollywood to make more movies: I couldnt. His music is synonymous with summer for me & I'll be missing him dearly." 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