Four more losses to reflect on here, early Spring 2026…
These 4 guys were a songwriter and singer noted for writing “Angel of the Morning” and “Wild Thing”; a musician, one half of Seals & Croft; a keyboardist and founding member of Ambrosia; and a character actor best known for Top Gun and Back to the Future.
Four more losses to reflect on here in early 2026.
These individuals include a singer, songwriter and pianist responsible for several big hits; the adorable “Kitten” for 201 episodes of Father Knows Best; a college football coach, winning the National Championship with Notre Dame; and a rock and roll guitarist described as an “instrumental genius”.
Neil Sedaka was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 13, 1939, into a working-class family with deep musical roots; his Lebanese-Jewish taxi-driver father and Russian- and Polish-Jewish mother encouraged his early talent, and he won a piano scholarship to the Juilliard School’s preparatory division as
a child before abandoning a potential classical career for pop music as a teenager. After forming a doo-wop group in high school and earning a contract with RCA Victor, Sedaka became one of the defining singer-songwriters of the late 1950s and early 1960s with hits such as “Oh! Carol,” “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen,” “Calendar Girl” and “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” teaming up with lyricist Howard Greenfield.
Later he would enjoy a second wave of success in the 1970s with “Laughter in the Rain,” “Bad Blood” and “Love Will Keep Us Together,” and writing or co-writing over 500 songs for himself and others; his career earned him a place in the Songwriters Hall of Fame and multiple accolades, and he continued performing and recording for decades.
#Number indicates position in US Billboard Hot 100 – Top 40 Only
He even recorded during the pandemic era. He married Leba Strassberg in 1962, and their long marriage produced two children and later grandchildren; Sedaka also became known for his engaging live shows and enduring influence on pop music. Sedaka died on Friday, February 27, 2026, at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 86, leaving behind his wife, two children, and grandchildren.
Lauren Chapin, born May 23, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, was an American actress who rose to national prominence as a child playing the youngest Anderson child, Kathy “Kitten” Anderson, on the beloved 1950s sitcom Father Knows Best, appearing in nearly every one of the series’ six seasons and
earning multiple Junior Emmy awards for her work. Off-screen, she was educated in Hollywood and appeared in early films such as A Star Is Born before her television breakthrough, but like many childhood stars, she faced significant personal struggles in adulthood that she later recounted in her 1989 autobiography Father Does Know Best: The Lauren Chapin Story.
She reinvented her life through evangelism, mentoring young talent and managing beauty pageant enterprises. Chapin’s personal life included family ties to two actor brothers and, later in life, devotion to charitable causes and her faith. After a long battle with cancer, she died on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at the age of 80 in Miami, Florida, and is survived by her children and her brother.
Louis Leo “Lou” Holtz was born January 6, 1937, in Follansbee, West Virginia, and became one of America’s most respected college football coaches and commentators, serving as head coach at institutions including William & Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina; his Notre Dame team won the consensus national championship in 1988.
Over his long coaching career he compiled a remarkable collegiate record and earned numerous coach-of-the-year awards while becoming the only coach to lead six different programs to bowl games and achieve top-fifteen rankings.
Holtz played college football at Kent State before moving into coaching, and after retiring from the sidelines he became a well-known television analyst, motivational speaker and influential figure in the sport. He was married to Beth Barcus from 1961 until her death in 2020,
and together they raised four children, several of whom pursued collegiate athletics. After entering hospice care in early 2026, Holtz died on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at the age of 89; he is remembered by his surviving children and extended family.
Travis Lavoid Wammack Sr., born in November 1944 in Walnut, Mississippi, was an American rock and roll guitarist, singer and songwriter celebrated as a child prodigy who recorded his first record at age 11 and scored an early hit with the instrumental “Scratchy,” which reflected his innovative guitar
style that incorporated early fuzz-tone and distortion; he became a key figure in the Memphis and Muscle Shoals music scenes, recording and performing across genres and later serving as bandleader for Little Richard in the 1980s and 1990s, and he was honored by institutions such as the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame for his contributions to American music.
From Wikipedia
Wammack’s enduring career spanned nearly seven decades, and he remained active in performance and recording until health challenges curtailed his playing later in life. He died on Friday, February 27, 2026, at the age of 81, and is survived by his wife Mitzi Wammack and his son, Travis “Monkee” Wammack Jr.
Four more music related deaths to report.
These artists have recorded #1 hits, sang in movies, written books; was a award winning lyricist with his wife; founded the folk-turned-prog-rock band Strawbs; and was a classically trained pianist-turned rock keyboardist for the British progressive rock band Rare Bird and played Viv Savage in Rob Reiner’s, This is Spinal Tap movie.
We have lost four beloved musical artists here at the end of Spring 2025.
These artists recorded hits like “Everyday People”, “Dance to the Music, and “Family Affair”; sang on songs like “Always”, “Circles”, and “Secret Lovers”; composed and conducted music for Alf and The Simpsons; and wrote songs recorded by The Carpenters, The Association, Three Dog Night, and Paul Anka.
His deep, gravelly voice and evocative lyrics earned him respect as one of the key figures in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s.
Kris Kristofferson was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and former military officer whose contributions to music and film have spanned decades. Born on June 22, 1936, in Brownsville, Texas, Kristofferson came from a military family. His father was a U.S. Army Air Corps officer, and the family moved frequently during Kris’s early years. He excelled academically and athletically, earning a Rhodes Scholarship1 to study at Merton College, Oxford.
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.
Will Jennings is an acclaimed American songwriter, best known for writing and co-writing songs that have become international hits across multiple genres. Born Wilbur H. Jennings on June 27, 1944, in Kilgore, Texas, Jennings was raised in East Texas, where he developed an early passion for music, playing in local bands during his high school years. After graduating from high school,
When I was young, I never needed anyone, And makin’ love was just for fun, Those days are gone
Eric Carmen was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his contributions to pop and rock music. Born on August 11, 1949, in Cleveland, Ohio, Carmen’s passion for music developed at an early age. His family supported his musical endeavors, and he began playing piano at the age of six.
This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage, And you’ll be sorry that you messed with The U.S. of A., ‘Cause we’ll put a boot in your ass, It’s the American way. – Toby Keith
Toby Keith, born on July 8, 1961, in Clinton, Oklahoma, was an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. Raised in a musical family, Keith developed a passion for music at an early age. He attended Moore High School in Moore, Oklahoma, where he played football and performed in the school band. After graduating in 1979, he worked various jobs, including in the oil industry, before pursuing a career in music.
Cynthia Weil wrote the lyrics and her husband Barry Mann the music.
Cynthia Weil was an American songwriter and lyricist known for her contributions to numerous hit songs from the 1960s and beyond. Born on October 18, 1940, in New York City, Cynthia Weil grew up on the Upper West Side and the Upper East Side of Manhattan in a Conservative Jewish family.
