Bobby Sherman, the teen idol and actor who captivated audiences in the late 1960s and early 1970s with hits like “Little Woman” and his role on “Here Come the Brides,” died Tuesday at age 81. His wife, Brigitte Poublon, announced his death on social media through friend John Stamos.
Sherman had been battling Stage 4 kidney cancer, which Poublon revealed in March 2025. In her announcement, she indicated that Sherman “left this world holding my hand—just as he held up our life with love, courage, and unwavering grace.”
Born Robert Cabot Sherman Jr. on July 22, 1943, in Santa Monica, California, Sherman grew up in Van Nuys where he graduated from Birmingham High School. At age 11, he learned to play trumpet, which became the first of 16 musical instruments he mastered throughout his life.
Sherman’s breakthrough came at age 19 when he met actor Sal Mineo at a Hollywood party celebrating the premiere of “The Greatest Story Ever Told” in 1965. While singing with a band at the party, he caught the attention of Hollywood stars Jane Fonda, Natalie Wood and Mineo, whose praise led to an agent and his first television role on the variety show “Shindig!” between 1964 and 1966.
His career reached new heights in 1968 when he was cast as Jeremy Bolt, a bashful 19th-century Seattle lumberjack, on the ABC comedy-western “Here Come the Brides.” The show ran for two seasons through 1970, generating 25,000 pieces of fan mail weekly for Sherman and establishing him as a major teen idol.
Sherman’s recording career flourished simultaneously with his television success. His first single, “Little Woman,” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1969, followed by three other Top 10 hits: “La La La (If I Had You)” peaked at No. 9 in January 1970, “Easy Come, Easy Go” reached the same position three months later, and “Julie, Do Ya Love Me” hit No. 5 in September 1970. By the end of 1972, he had accumulated seven gold singles, one platinum single and 10 gold albums.
Following “Here Come the Brides,” Sherman starred in “Getting Together,” a 1971 spinoff of “The Partridge Family” about two young songwriters. The show lasted only 14 episodes, facing stiff competition from “All in the Family” in its prime-time slot. TV Guide ranked Sherman No. 8 in its 2005 list of “TV’s 25 Greatest Teen Idols.”
Sherman’s popularity extended beyond music and television into merchandise, with his image appearing on lunch boxes, cereal boxes and bedroom posters. His face graced the covers of Tiger Beat and Sixteen magazines regularly, and he became a fixture of the bubblegum pop era alongside artists like David Cassidy and Donny Osmond.
After his entertainment career cooled in the mid-1970s, Sherman made a dramatic career change that would define his later years. In 1988, he became a certified emergency medical technician and later served as chief medical training officer for the Los Angeles Police Department, teaching first aid and CPR to department recruits without accepting payment.
Sherman also worked as a reserve deputy with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, providing security at courthouses. His medical training proved valuable in emergency situations, as he estimated helping five women deliver babies in car backseats and other impromptu locations during his paramedic career.
His dedication to public service earned recognition through multiple awards, including being named LAPD’s Reserve Officer of the Year for 1999 and receiving the FBI’s Exceptional Service Award and the “Twice a Citizen” Award from the Los Angeles County Reserve Foundation.
Sherman married Patti Carnel in 1971, though he kept the marriage secret from his teenage fanbase for over a year. The marriage ended in divorce in 1977. In 2010, he married Brigitte Poublon, a real estate agent who runs the couple’s charity helping children in Ghana.
Sherman is survived by his wife Brigitte, two sons Tyler and Christopher, and six grandchildren. His transition from teen idol to public servant exemplified what his wife described as his character of quiet heroism and selfless service to others.
