PHILADELPHIA — Bobby Rydell, the singer who rose to fame as a South Philly teen idol with hits like “Kissin’ Time,” “Wild One” and “Wildwood Days” and maintained a career in show business that lasted six decades, has died at age 79.
Rydell’s death was confirmed by his marketing and event coordinator Maria Novey, who said he died Tuesday afternoon at Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia.
She said that Rydell’s death was unexpected, though he had many health problems, dating back to when he underwent a double transplant to replace a liver and a kidney in 2012.
