Bobby Rydell Dead: ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ Actor Dies Of Pneumonia Weeks Before 80th Birthday

Bobby Rydell, who starred in the 1963 film “Bye Bye Birdie,” has passed away. The actor was 79.

The Philadelphia-born star, who was considered the epitome of the early 1960s “teen idol,” died Tuesday. The cause of his death was pneumonia, Variety reported.

Born Robert Louis Ridarelli on April 26, 1942, Rydell’s death came just weeks before his 80th birthday. Details on his memorial plans were not immediately available.

Rydell had a very colorful career in the showbiz industry. He started as a drummer at the tender age of 9. A decade later, he became the youngest person to headline at New York’s Copacabana nightclub, 13News Now reported.

The late artist went on to record a few local hits before scoring his first Top 20 in 1959 with his song “Kissin’ Time.” The track opened doors for him and even earned him a spot on an Australian concert tour with The Everly Brothers, The Crickets and many more.

His other hits were “We Got Love,” Wild One” and “Volare,” which peaked at No. 4 on the charts. His other top 10 tracks included “Swinging’ School,” “The Cha-Cha-Cha,” “We Got Love” and “Forget Him.”

Rydell’s popularity and influence in the teen pop era were so huge back in the day that the school featured in the Broadway musical “Grease” and its film adaptation was named after him.

His success in the music scene led to his casting in the film version of the Broadway hit “Bye Bye Birdie.” He portrayed Hugo Peabody opposite Ann-Margaret’s Kim McAfee, and the pair stole the show when they did one of the most memorable dance scenes to the beat of “A Lot of Livin’ To Do” in the movie, according to Deadline.

In the late ’60s, Rydell’s fame receded along with the rise of musical bands. After 1965, he could no longer chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually became a lounge singer in Las Vegas. He continued performing in nightclubs and casinos throughout the 1980s.

Rydell wrote a memoir, titled “Bobby Rydell: Teen Idol on the Rocks: A Tale of Second Chances,” in which he detailed his battle with alcoholism after the passing of his wife of 36 years, Camille Quattrone Ridarelli, due to breast cancer.

He married his second wife, Linda Hoffman, in 2009. After undergoing a double-organ transplant to replace his liver and a kidney in 2012, he went back to touring as a solo act. He had been planning a spring and summer tour with his contemporaries Frankie Avalon and Fabian for 2022 before his demise.