Neil Sedaka Was ‘Born Married’ to Wife of 60 Years — At 84, He Looks ‘Great’ Adores His Granddaughters

• Legendary singer Neil Sedaka stuns fans who say he still looks great at 84 years old and is still deeply in love with his wife of 60 years, to whom he says he was “born married.”
• Growing up, the singer had a controlling mother, and worse still, his wife’s mother was not accepting of their marriage.
• Now, Sedaka is a doting grandfather who adores spending time with his look-alike granddaughters.

Iconic American singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka has an incredible music career spanning over five decades. He is best known for composing some of the best and most catchy pop tunes, which include “Calendar Girl,” “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” and “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen.”

Earlier in May, Neil took to his Facebook account to post a video addressing his fans and letting them know he has joined the Cameo family. The star went on to say that he is excited to take requests for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, or any other special occasion that warrants a special message for loved ones. He ended the video with a sweet rendition of one of his classic songs, “Breaking Up is Hard to Do.”

To say fans were swooning over Neil’s video message would be an accurate summation of their reactions when they watched the video. A lot of fans were taken aback by how wonderful the artist still looked at 84 and praised Sedaka for not only sounding amazing but looking great too:

“Thank you…missed you. Looking and sounding great, sir! RESPECT.”

In addition to raving about how fantastic Neil looks, fans complimented the singer on his undeniable musical talent. Some fans on Facebook were smitten over his soothing vibrato, which immediately captured their attention and made them recall how fantastic Sedaka had always sounded back in the day and now:

“Love it! Sir Neil…U are amazing as always…”

In addition to looking and sounding great at 84, Neil has been married to his wife for six decades. The happy couple are also parents of two.

Neil met his wife, Leba Strassberg when she was 16 years old, and he was 19. At the time, he was performing at his mother’s hotel in upstate New York. The couple has been married for 60 years and share a daughter, Dara Sedaka, and a son, Marc Sedaka, and three grandchildren.

Although Neil says that his initial encounter with his wife was born out of love at first sight, Strassberg’s mother disapproved of their relationship and marriage. According to him, her mother was a businesswoman who did not see Neil as a reasonable prospect for her daughter. However, her father ended up being the saving grace, as Neil reported that he was the one to see his full potential and talent.

Strassberg has also been her husband’s manager for over 40 years. However, before this, his mother, Eleanor Sedaka, controlled most of his rights as an artist, including his royalties and finances. Having initially wanted to pursue a career as a classical pianist, it was not until Neil was 13 that he started a co-writing partnership with a neighbor’s 16-year-old son, Howard Greenfield, who was an aspiring poet and lyricist.

The duo went on to write hits for New York’s famous Brill Building, where they would make $50 a week up until Greenfield’s unfortunate passing. In 1959, Neil became the first-ever songwriter to get to record his own songs and make a feature on the Top 10 charts.

Neil’s career has gone down in musical history as a legendary artist who inspired many others in his genre.

Before gaining popularity as a singer, Neil disclosed that though he had always known he had a great voice, he was always embarrassed to share his talents in public until he sang at his bar mitzvah. His performance had brought his rabbi to tears and moved him so much that he implored Neil’s parents to consider having him become a cantor in the synagogue, to which Eleanor refused.

It was not until the “Oh! Carol” talent made a whopping $62,000 in royalties for his song “Stupid Cupid” that his mother then changed her mind about him becoming a singer. Neil had given his mother the entire royalty cheque, starting a financial drain chain reaction. Eleanor had taken a lover while still married to Neil’s father, Mac Sedaka, and entrusted him to manage her son’s career and finances.

Eleanor and her lover had drained hundreds of thousands of dollars that Neil had made from his songs to the point where he was unable to pay his taxes and was forced to start over with his wife. The ordeal caused a great rift between Neil and his mother, and he recalled not having spoken to her for a year.

Neil and Eleanor’s relationship as mother and son seemed to always be somewhat strained and at odds. The artist recounted a story of when his mother was pregnant with him and had ridden a rollercoaster in an effort to try and miscarry. According to Neil, Eleanor had experienced a difficult pregnancy with his older sister and was advised against bearing more children, so she became scared when she fell pregnant with Neil.

Eleanor controlled not only her son’s assets and finances but also his marriage. When Neil married his wife, Strassberg had no idea how much of Neil’s life was run by his mother. At the wedding reception, Eleanor approached the couple and asserted that she would be raising Neil’s allowance by an extra $25 (from $200). Additionally, Eleanor had pre-planned and organized their entire honeymoon.

Strassberg was stunned by the level of control Eleanor leveraged over her husband. As an effort to try and assert herself in a more dominant position, she told Eleanor that she and Neil would be picking out their own apartment together somewhere in Manhattan. Eleanor immediately threatened to cut them both off financially if they did not obey her wish for them to instead move to an apartment near Brighton Beach.

Afraid to stand up to his mother’s wrath at the tender age of 19, Strassberg reluctantly agreed, and everything from the apartment to the decor was chosen by Eleanor. Strassberg, of course, did not like Eleanor having so much control over them and their family; however, she realized there was nothing she could do.

Despite the ups and downs the couple went through, especially when it came to Eleanor’s heavy involvement in their marriage, they never lost love for each other. When they celebrated their 50th year of marriage, Neil expressed:

“I was born married…If you’re lucky to have that companion that does it for you, that’s a great gift.”

Neil and Strassberg have been married for 60 years – soon to be 61 in September – and are still going strong. The happy couple are still deeply in love with one another and remain committed to each other.

Being the charming singer he is, Neil never misses an opportunity to celebrate his love for Strassberg through the gift of music. Both his Facebook and Instagram accounts are peppered with loving tributes to his wife.

When their 60th Anniversary was coming up last year, Neil posted a special 20-minute-long tribute to his wife, singing three songs that were specially made for her on June 2, 2022. The “Laughter in the Rain” artist’s caption that accompanied the incredibly heart-warming tribute read:

“I’d like to dedicate today’s mini-concert to my beautiful wife, Leba. In September, we will be celebrating our 60th Anniversary. Here are three songs especially written for Leba!”

Similarly, on Instagram, Neil was seen sitting by his white piano again, singing a dedication to Strassberg on Valentine’s Day earlier this year. Neil sweetly captioned the post:

“Wishing my beautiful wife Leba & all of my fans a #happyvalentinesday.”

Apart from being a loving husband and wife, Neil and Strassberg are also the grandparents of three. In January, he posted an array of adorable photos of his two twin granddaughters who were celebrating their birthday.

In the pictures where they are all smiling, one can see that Neil shares the same smile as his granddaughters, who have similar features. The caption for the photographs went on about how much both their grandparents love them.

Neil’s career has gone down in musical history as a legendary artist who inspired many others in his genre. From working with the incredible likes of Greenfield to Elton John, he has established himself as a formidable singer-songwriter.

Apart from his remarkable career, his love story with Strassberg is just as admirable. After conquering trials and tribulations, the happy couple remains embedded in love with their wonderful family.