Robert John, the singer-songwriter known for his chart-topping 1979 hit “Sad Eyes,” died on February 24, 2025, at the age of 79. His son, Michael Pedrick, confirmed the news to Rolling Stone.
The Brooklyn-born musician, who entered the music industry as a child, had been recovering from a stroke he experienced several years ago before his death, though no immediate cause was given.
“He was a really great dad,” Pedrick told Rolling Stone.
John, born Robert John Pedrick Jr. on January 3, 1946, began his musical journey at just 12 years old, releasing his first record “White Bucks and Saddle Shoes” in 1958 under the name Bobby Pedrick Jr. This early effort made it onto the Billboard Hot 100, marking the beginning of what would become a decades-spanning career.
In the 1960s, John led a doo-wop group called Bobby & the Consoles in New York before changing his professional name to Robert John in 1968. That same year, he released “If You Don’t Want My Love,” which reached No. 49 on the charts. During this period, he also worked as a producer and background vocalist.
John’s career gained significant momentum in 1972 when his rendition of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” rose to No. 3 on the Hot 100. However, despite this success, John faced challenges in securing album deals.
“[Atlantic] didn’t have enough faith to let me do an album,” John told Rolling Stone. “I decided if that’s what happens after a [hit] song, then I just wasn’t going to sing anymore.”
Following this disappointment, John went on to write for Motown before reconnecting with producer George Tobin in 1978. Their collaboration led to “Sad Eyes,” the ballad that would become John’s signature hit.
The song made its Billboard Hot 100 debut on May 19, 1979, and took a remarkable 20 weeks to reach the top spot, eventually displacing The Knack’s smash hit “My Sharona.” The achievement was particularly notable as “Sad Eyes” was a slow-paced, retro-sounding ballad released during the height of the disco era.
John himself was surprised by the song’s success. “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.”
“Sad Eyes” earned John a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, in 1980. The hit was also successful internationally, becoming a top 10 hit in several other countries.
In 1979, John released a self-titled album that largely consisted of pop-disco tracks. The following year, he recorded “Back on the Street,” which would be his final album. He managed to score two more modest hits in 1980 with “Lonely Eyes” and “Hey There Lonely Girl” before largely stepping away from the music industry.
Throughout his career, John had 10 songs make the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with five of them also becoming hits on the adult contemporary charts. His contributions to music spanned multiple decades and genres, from doo-wop to soft rock.
Although John had largely retired from performing, he made a rare appearance at a sold-out ’70s nostalgia concert in his hometown of New York City in 1995.
John is survived by his four sons, his grandsons, his ex-wife Diane, to whom he was married for 46 years, and his partner Susan, with whom he spent the last 10 years of his life.
