Bobby Rydell, a pompadoured heartthrob of early rock ‘n roll who was a star of radio, television and the movie musical “Bye Bye Birdie,” died Tuesday.
Rydell died of complications from pneumonia at a hospital in a suburb of his hometown of Philadelphia, according to a statement posted by his marketing and event coordinator Maria Novey.Along with James Darren, Fabian and Frankie Avalon, Rydell was among a wave of wholesome teen idols who emerged after Elvis Presley and before the rise of the Beatles.
He had recurring roles on “The Red Skelton Show” and other television programs, and 1963′s “Bye Bye Birdie” was rewritten to give Rydell a major part as the boyfriend of Ann-Margret. He didn’t want to move to Hollywood, however, and “Birdie” became his only significant movie role — though the high school in the hit ‘70s musical “Grease” was named for him.
“I never thought of myself as a celebrity,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2003. “I was just a guy who went out there and worked.” Before he graced the covers of teen magazines and movie screens, Rydell made his bones as a youngster in Philadelphia clubs.
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