Las Vegas Legend Neil Sedaka Dies at 86
Posted on: February 27, 2026, 05:33h.
Last updated on: February 27, 2026, 05:37h.
- Legendary singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka died at age 86 on Friday, Feb. 27
- Sedaka was a prolific Las Vegas headliner, performing at the Sahara, Riviera, Hilton, and Orleans
- He famously transitioned from a 1960s teen idol to a celebrated adult contemporary showman
Neil Sedaka, the irrepressible king of the Brill Building sound, died Friday, February 27, 2026, at age 86. His passing followed a medical emergency for which he was rushed to the hospital the same morning. An official cause of death has not yet been released.
Known for his late-1950s/early-’60s hits “Breaking Up is Hard to Do,” Calendar Girl,” and “Oh! Carol” — written about his high school sweetheart, fellow songwriting legend Carole King — Sedaka was a son of Brooklyn who found a permanent musical home under the neon glow of the Las Vegas Strip.
Desert Mainstay
Sedaka’s connection to Las Vegas was forged between 1960 and 1963, when he performed as a fixture at the Sahara’s Casbar Theatre as a teen idol.
When the Beatles-led British Invasion sidelined his recording career in 1964, Las Vegas provided the platform that kept his performing career alive. Frequently performing at the Riviera and Desert Inn, and later at the Las Vegas Hilton, he wowed audiences not only with his catalog of hits but his classical Julliard training.
A formidable pianist who could have easily pursued a career on the concert stage, Sedaka reserved a special section of each show to perform complex Chopin nocturnes as part of a masterclass bridging the gap between high art and the pop charts.
The Night Vegas Chose Neil
After Elton John helped relaunch Sedaka’s career with the 1974 hits “Laughter in the Rain” and “Bad Blood” — released on Elton’s newly formed Rocket Records — Las Vegas embraced the “new” Sedaka so whole-heartedly, it got him fired from a September 1975 gig opening for the Carpenters.
By the third night of their joint Riviera residency, it became clear that the audience wanted to see the comeback kid even more than the headline act. Sedaka delivered a high-octane set that brought the house down, acknowledging multiple standing ovations each night by taking encores that pushed his set long.
Richard Carpenter, reportedly bristling as having the thunder stolen from his sister Karen, instructed their manager, Sherwin Bash, to send Sedaka packing immediately. Sedaka later commented, “I didn’t know there was such a thing as being too good for the job.”
The Final Bow
Sedaka’s storied relationship with Vegas concluded on February 8, 2020 at the Orleans Showroom, where he had been performing regularly since 2003. That night, according to accounts, the then-80-year-old maestro showed no signs of slowing down, delivering a two-and-a-half-hour tour spanning from the “tra-la-las” of his youth to the soulful ballads of his maturity.
Sedaka is survived by his wife of 64 years, Leba, and their two children, who released the following 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.”
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