Robert John, the singer-songwriter best known for his chart-topping ballad "Sad Eyes," has passed away at the age of 79.
His son, Michael Pedrick, shared the news of his father’s death with Rolling Stone, noting that John died on Monday, February 24, 2025. While no immediate cause of death was provided, John had been recovering from a stroke he suffered several years prior.
Born in Brooklyn on January 3, 1946, John began his musical journey early, releasing his debut single "White Bucks and Saddle Shoes" at just 12 years old in 1958 under the name Bobby Pedrick Jr. In the 1960s, he fronted the doo-wop group Bobby & the Consoles in New York. By 1968, performing as Robert John, he cracked the Billboard Hot 100 with "If You Don’t Want My Love," reaching No. 49. A few years later, in 1972, his cover of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" climbed to No. 3.
Despite these successes, John faced challenges with record labels. After his hit with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," Atlantic Records hesitated to greenlight a full album. “I decided if that’s what happens after a [hit] song, then I just wasn’t going to sing anymore,” he told Rolling Stone. He briefly stepped away from performing, taking on writing gigs for Motown instead.
John’s career defining moment came in 1978 when producer George Tobin convinced him to return to the studio. The result was "Sad Eyes," a slow-burning ballad that hit the Billboard Hot 100 on May 19, 1979, and reached No. 1 after 20 weeks. Reflecting on its success, John admitted to Rolling Stone, “I look at the charts and see my name, but I still have trouble believing it’s really me. I didn’t think the song would be the first single from the album. It’s a ballad, and I thought the company was crazy to release it.” The track earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance.
In 1979, John released a self-titled album filled with pop-disco flavors, followed by his final record, Back on the Street, in 1980. Beyond his own releases, he lent his talents as a producer and background vocalist during his career.
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