Telling the crowd she had lost her friend recently, a visibly emotional Lorna said: "I met him in the 1960s and we had a fun time in the 70s," before quipping: "So they told me!" which drew laughter from the crowd. He left us music that we grew up to and that we loved, and I am so lucky to say that one of my best friends was Neil Sedaka," she said. "Neil and I used to get into some serious, serious trouble, and we would laugh, and we would carry on," she smiled.
Recalling one of her fond memories of the Breaking Up Is Hard To Do hitmaker, she reflected: "I made this terrible movie called Where The Boys Are 84 - that's how many people saw it," she laughed.
"He'd say, Oh, I see somebody over there. I think they saw the movie. Oh my gosh. I did. I loved him," she said before singing on of his songs as a "little thank you to a friend of mine that meant a lot to me."
Neil Sedaka died aged 86 on Friday, February 27, after being rushed to a Los Angeles hospital. The singer was hospitalised following a sudden medical emergency, but his condition later worsened. His family confirmed his death in a statement to TMZ.
They said: “Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather, Neil Sedaka. A true rock and roll legend, an inspiration to millions, but most importantly, at least to those of us who were lucky enough to know him, an incredible human being who will be deeply missed.”
The singer, whose career spanned more than six decades, scored multiple No.1 hits in the early 1960s, including Oh! Carol and Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, before enjoying a major resurgence in the 1970s with chart-toppers Laughter in the Rain and Bad Blood.
He was also a founding member of the Tokens, the group formed in the late 1950s that famously recorded The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Over the years, the songwriter was nominated for five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983.
He later received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in recognition of his contribution to music.
