2/25/25-Robert John Passes

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Trusted Source: People Magazine

Daniela Avila

Daniela Avila is an editorial assistant at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2021. Her work previously appeared on The Poly Post. 

Published on February 25, 2025 05:30PM EST

Robert John, the singer-songwriter behind the chart-topping hit “Sad Eyes,” has died. He was 79.

John’s son Michael Pedrick confirmed the news of his death to Rolling Stone. John died on Monday, Feb. 24 and there was no immediate cause of death. However, the musician was still recovering from a stroke he experienced several years ago.

“He was a really great dad,” Pedrick told the outlet.

John, who is widely known for “Sad Eyes,” entered the Billboard Hot 100 on May 19, 1979 and topped the charts 20 weeks later with the ballad.

“I look at the charts and see my name, but I still have trouble believing it’s really me,” John told Rolling Stone at the time. “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.”

John was born in Brooklyn on Jan. 3, 1946 and went on to release his first record, “White Bucks and Saddle Shoes” when he was 12 years old in 1958 under the name Bobby Pedrick Jr.

In the 1960s, John led a doo-wop group called Bobby & the Consoles in New York. By 1968, he was releasing music under Robert John and hit No. 49 with “If You Don’t Want My Love.”

Around that time, he also worked as a producer and background vocalist, per Rolling Stone. Then, in 1972, his rendition of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” rose to No. 3 on the Hot 100.

However, despite his success on single releases, it wasn’t enough for record companies.

“[Atlantic] didn’t have enough faith to let me do an album,” John told the outlet. “I decided if that’s what happens after a [hit] song, then I just was’t going to sing anymore.” 

John went on to write for Motown before producer George Tobin reached out to him to reconnect in 1978. During their time together, “Sad Eyes” was born. The single went on to earn him a Grammy nomination for best pop vocal performance.

In 1979, John recorded a self-titled album that largely consisted of pop-disco tracks. The following year, he recorded Back on the Street, his final album.

Per Rolling Stone, John is survived by his four sons and grandsons, and spent the last 10 years with his partner Susan.