Neil Sedaka, a music prodigy whose career spanned seven decades, taking him from classical training at Julliard and playing in a Catskills house band to teen pop star selling millions of records worldwide and becoming a songwriter who influenced a generation of artists, died on Friday at age 86.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Sedaka’s melodic pop songs began pouring out of radios across the country. “Oh! Carol,” “Calendar Girl,” and “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” weren’t just hits—they were masterclasses in craftsmanship. Sedaka was a mainstay on American Bandstand, performing his post-Elvis, pre-Beatles songs that were polished, structured, and enduring.

But it was Beatlemania and the British-invasion that put a sudden halt to Sedaka’s career. He re-emerged in the 1970s, with the help of friend and collaborator Elton John, returning to the top of the charts. His album Sedaka’s Back on John’s record company signaled a comeback.  The Captain & Tennille’s cover of his “Love Will Keep Us Together” proved that Sedaka was really back. 

In 2011, before performing at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the Brooklyn-born Sedaka and I talked about how some of the most significant moments in his personal and professional life came while he was in Sullivan County. And during his famous comeback, Sedaka wrote the No. 1 hit “Laughter in the Rain” at his home in the Town of Forestburgh.

Sedaka was 13 when he was heard practicing the piano in the lobby of the Kenmore Lake Hotel in Livingston Manor by Ella Greenfield, whose son Howie would be his musical collaborator for 30 years. Together, they demonstrated that teen pop could be smart, witty, and musically sophisticated. Their work pioneered the Brill Building sound, the Manhattan songwriting hub that helped define the pop landscape, paving the way for fellow songwriters like Paul Simon, Neil Diamond and Carole King – who Sedaka very briefly dated in high school. 

In 1958, as part of the Nordanels, a band hired for the summer at the Esther Manor outside Monticello, Sedaka calmed anxious resort owner Esther Strassberg while winning the heart of her daughter, Leba.

“We (the Nordanels) walk in the first day and my future mother-in-law, who was very imposing at 6 feet tall, said, “Sorry, all of the waiter and busboy jobs have been filled.” I said, “No, we’re the band.” She got a little hysterical and called the agent who booked us, and said, “You sent me little pishers.” I begged her to give us a shot because I had given up a job. She kept apologizing to the guests. By the end of the week, the guests had nothing but compliments. We stayed the summer.”

His relationship with Leba lasted a lot longer. They were married in 1962 and were together until his death. They have two children, Dara and Marc.

I asked him when was the last time you saw the Esther Manor?

“I hadn’t seen it for years. I took Esther there before she died 10-12 years ago. We didn’t recognize the place.”

Sedaka was a grounded teen idol, going from Dick Clark’s “Bandstand” to the high school prom in Monticello.

“I had promised Leba I would take her to her prom. I knew some of the kids from when I used to visit, but there were a couple of guys who were jealous and during the prom they stole the hubcaps off my T-bird. I think I know who did it.”

On Friday his family released this statement: “Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather, Neil Sedaka. 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.”

Sedaka is in the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But his legacy will be his warmth, a dedication to his craft and music that makes us smile.