Songwriter Teddy Randazzo Dies

Posted in News on November 23, 2003

Longtime BMI songwriter, Grammy and Songwriters Hall of Fame nominee, Teddy Randazzo died suddenly Friday, Nov. 21 at his home in Orlando. He was 68.

Along with his friend and collaborator Bobby Weinstein, Randazzo wrote such cross-over hits as "Goin' Out of My Head," "Hurts So Bad," "Gonna Take a Miracle," "I'm on the Outside Looking In," "Pretty Blue Eyes" and "Have You Looked into Your Heart." According to Weinstein, a former BMI Writer/Publisher Executive, their songs were cut by more than 350 artists including Frank Sinatra, Little Anthony & The Imperials, The Temptations, The Manhattans, Queen Latifah, Laura Nyro and Luther Vandross. The winner of multiple BMI Pop Awards over the years, "Goin' Out of My Head" accrued more than 6 million performances according to BMI surveys, while "Hurt So Bad" scored more than 4 million plays.

Randazzo, who began his career in the Brooklyn-based band The Three Chuckles, became a mainstay of the seminal Alan Freed teenage music sagas such as "Rock, Rock, Rock," "Hey, Let's Twist," "The Girl Can't Help It" and "Mr. Rock and Roll." He made seven appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show.

He and Weinstein were co-writing new songs at the time of his death and, earlier this year, were nominated for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Randazzo is survived by his wife Shelly, four sons and three daughters. A celebration of his life is scheduled for Nov. 29 in Orlando.

SOURCENews TAGS Pop Rock BMI Pop Awards Artists The Temptations