Top 40 Singer and Philadelphia Native Bobby Rydell Dead at 79

Bobby Rydell, a legendary singer and Philly native, passed away at the age of 79. He was in the Abington Jefferson Hospital with pneumonia complications not related to COVID-19 when he passed.

Rydell had 34 Top-40 hits on the US Billboard, including “Volare,” “Wild One,” “We Got Love,” and “Wildwood Days.” He reached the pinnacle of his fame in the late 1950s and early 1960s as a teen idol and rock and roll. At the height of his career, he toured with Fabian, Frankie Avalon, and Chubby Checker. In 1960 alone, he sold over 20 million records!

Bobby Rydell Had An Early Start to Singing Career

Born in Philadelphia in 1942 as Robert Ridarelli, Rydell started his musical career at age 9 when he played drums for the Bobby Rydell Band. He later began performing as a singer on American Bandstand and broke into the pop music scene with “Kissin’ Time” in 1959.

He continued to perform throughout his life and appeared in Grease in 1978. In 2001, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance’s Walk of Fame in 2004.

Rydell is survived by his wife, Linda J. Hoffman, two children, and five grandchildren.