Bobby Rydell, Early 60s Teen Idol And 'Bye Bye Birdie' Star, Dies At 79

Bobby Rydell, a rock singer who enjoyed teen idol status during the early 1960s, passed away at the age of 79.

A Quick Rise To Fame: Born Robert Louis Ridarelli in Philadelphia on April 26, 1942, he made his mark in 1950 as the eight-year-old winner of the “Paul Whiteman's TV Teen Club,” remaining on the show for several years.

In his teen years, changed his name to Bobby Rydell and signed with Cameo Records. His first hit song, "Kissin' Time," was released in 1959, which he followed later that year with "We Got Love," which gained gold record certification after selling one million copies.

Rydell enjoyed a string of hit singles including "Little Bitty Girl" (another million-selling single), "Swingin' School," “Volare” (another million seller), “Sway” and “Wildwood Days.” In 1963, Rydell made his film debut as Hugo Peabody, the beleaguered boyfriend of Ann-Margret in the musical “Bye Bye Birdie.”

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A Nostalgic Favorite: Rydell’s last chart-topping song was "Forget Him," which peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 chart. But 1964 proved to be Rydell’s final year at the top of the music world. He left Cameo for Capitol Records but never had the same level of recording success, while the arrival of another music act on the Capitol label — the Beatles — changed public tastes in rock music.

While his records weren’t selling in the millions, Rydell kept active with guest appearances on television variety shows and performances in Las Vegas venues and in theaters across the U.S. and in Australia. In 1985, he teamed with two other teen idols from the early 1960s, Frankie Avalon and Fabian, in a popular tour called “The Golden Boys.”

Rydell never enjoyed another big screen success after “Bye Bye Birdie,” although his name achieved cinematic immortality — in the 1978 classic “Grease,” the school Rydell High was named in his honor.

Photo: Bobby Rydell in "Bye Bye Birdie," courtesy of Columbia Pictures