Former teen idol Bobby Sherman dies as heartbroken wife leads tributes to star
Former teen idol Bobby Sherman has died, aged 81, it's been announced. The news of the actor and singer's death comes after he was diagnosed with cancer.
His wife Brigitte Poublon Sherman and pal John Stamos paid a joint tribute to him earlier. John wrote: "From one ex teen idol, to another - rest in peace Bobby Sherman."
The joint post then continued with a message from Brigitte. It read: "It is with the heaviest heart that I share the passing of my beloved husband, Bobby Sherman. Bobby left this world holding my hand—just as he held up our life with love, courage, and unwavering grace through all 29 beautiful years of marriage. I was his Cinderella, and he was my prince charming. Even in his final days, he stayed strong for me. That's who Bobby was—brave, gentle, and full of light."
Brigitte continued: "As he rested, I read him fan letters from all over the world—words of love and gratitude that lifted his spirits and reminded him of how deeply he was cherished. He soaked up every word with that familiar sparkle in his eye. And yes, he still found time to crack well-timed jokes—Bobby had a wonderful, wicked sense of humor. It never left him. He could light up a room with a look, a quip, or one of his classic, one-liners."
She added that he "brought joy to millions" through songs like Julie, Do Ya Love Me and Easy Come, Easy Go, as well as his role in Here Come the Brides.
Brigitte said that to Bobby was "something much more" to those who "truly knew him" though. She described him as a "man of service," writing that he traded sold-out concerts and magazine covers to become an EMT and a trainer with the LAPD later in his life. She said: "He saved lives. He showed us what real heroism looks like—quiet, selfless, and deeply human."
She said: "He lived with integrity, gave without hesitation, and loved with his whole heart. And though our family feels his loss profoundly, we also feel the warmth of his legacy - his voice, his laughter, his music, his mission. Thank you to every fan who ever sang along, who ever wrote a letter, who ever sent love his way. He felt it. Rest gently, my love."
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The Guardian
21 hours ago
- The Guardian
Bobby Sherman, 60s teen idol and singer of hit Little Women, dies aged 81
Bobby Sherman, whose winsome smile and fashionable shaggy mop top helped make him into a teen idol in the 1960s and 70s with bubblegum pop hits such as Little Woman and Julie, Do Ya Love Me, has died. He was 81. His wife, Brigitte Poublon, announced the death Tuesday and family friend John Stamos posted her message on Instagram: 'Bobby left this world holding my hand — just as he held up our life with love, courage, and unwavering grace.' Sherman revealed he had stage 4 cancer earlier this year. Sherman was a squeaky-clean regular on the covers of Tiger Beat and Sixteen magazines, often with hair over his eyes and a choker on his neck. His face was printed on lunchboxes, cereal boxes and posters that hung on the bedroom walls of his adoring fans. He landed at No 8 in TV Guide's list of TV's 25 Greatest Teen Idols. He was part of a lineage of teen heartthrobs who emerged as mass-market, youth-oriented magazines and TV took off, connecting fresh-scrubbed Ricky Nelson in the 1950s to David Cassidy in the 60s, all the way to Justin Bieber in the 2000s. Sherman had four Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart – Little Woman, Julie, Do Ya Love Me, Easy Come, Easy Go, and La La La (If I Had You). He had six albums on the Billboard 200 chart, including Here Comes Bobby, which spent 48 weeks on the album chart, peaking at No 10. His career got its jump start when he was cast in the ABC rock'n'roll show Shindig! in the mid-60s. Later, he starred in two television series — Here Come the Brides (1968-70) and Getting Together (1971). After the limelight moved on, Sherman became a certified medical emergency technician and instructor for the Los Angeles police department, teaching police recruits first aid and CPR. He donated his salary. 'A lot of times, people say, 'Well, if you could go back and change things, what would you do?'' he told the Tulsa World in 1997. 'And I don't think I'd change a thing – except to maybe be a little bit more aware of it, because I probably could've relished the fun of it a little more. It was a lot of work. It was a lot of blood, sweat and tears. But it was the best of times.' Sherman, with sky blue eyes and dimples, grew up in the San Fernando Valley, singing Ricky Nelson songs and performing with a high-school rock band. 'I was brought up in a fairly strict family,' he told the Sunday News newspaper in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1998. 'Law and order were important. Respect your fellow neighbor, remember other people's feelings. I was the kind of boy who didn't do things just to be mischievous.' He was studying child psychology at a community college in 1964 when his girlfriend took him to a Hollywood party, which would change his life. He stepped onstage and sang with the band. Afterward, guests Jane Fonda, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo asked him who his agent was. They took his number and, a few days later, an agent called him and set him up with Shindig! Sherman hit true teen idol status in 1968, when he appeared in Here Come the Brides, a comedy-adventure set in boom town Seattle in the 1870s. He sang the show's theme song, Seattle, and starred as young logger Jeremy Bolt, often at loggerheads with his brother, played by David Soul. It lasted two seasons. Following the series, Sherman starred in Getting Together, a spinoff of The Partridge Family, about a songwriter struggling to make it in the music business. He became the first performer to star in three TV series before the age of 30. That television exposure soon translated into a fruitful recording career: His first single, Little Woman, earned a gold record in 1969. 'While the rest of the world seemed jumbled up and threatening, Sherman's smiling visage beamed from the bedroom walls of hundreds of thousands of teenage girls, a reassuring totem against the riots, drugs, war protests and free love that raged outside,' the Tulsa World said in 1997. His movies included Wild In Streets, He is My Brother and Get Crazy. Sherman pulled back from his celebrity career after several years of a frantic schedule, telling the Washington Post: 'I'd film five days a week, get on a plane on a Friday night and go someplace for matinee and evening shows Saturday and Sunday, then get on a plane and go back to the studio to start filming again. It was so hectic for three years that I didn't know what home was.' Sherman's pivot to becoming an emergency medical technician in 1988 was born out of a longtime fascination with medicine. Sherman said that affinity blossomed when he raised his sons with his first wife, Patti Carnel. They would get scrapes and bloody noses and he became the family's first-aid provider. So he started learning basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation from the Red Cross. 'If I see an accident, I feel compelled to stop and give aid even if I'm in my own car,' he told the St Petersburg Times. 'I carry equipment with me. And there's not a better feeling than the one you get from helping somebody out. I would recommend it to everybody.' In addition to his work with the Los Angeles police department, he was a reserve deputy with the San Bernardino county sheriff's department, working security at the courthouse. Sherman estimated that, as a paramedic, he helped five women deliver babies in the backseats of cars or other impromptu locations. In one case, he helped deliver a baby on the sidewalk and, after the birth, the new mother asked Sherman's partner what his name was. 'When he told her Bobby, she named the baby Roberta. I was glad he didn't tell her my name was Sherman,' he told the St Petersburg Times in 1997. He was named LAPD's Reserve Officer of the Year for 1999 and received the FBI's Exceptional Service Award and the 'Twice a Citizen' Award by the Los Angeles County Reserve Foundation. In a speech on the floor of the US House of Representatives in 2004, the then representative Howard McKeon said: 'Bobby is a stellar example of the statement 'to protect and serve.' We can only say a simple and heartfelt thank you to Bobby Sherman and to all the men and women who courageously protect and serve the citizens of America.' Later, Sherman would join the 1990s-era Teen Idols Tour with former 1960s heartthrobs Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones of the Monkees and Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits. The Chicago Sun-Times in 1998 described one of Sherman's performances: 'Dressed to kill in black leather pants and white shirt, he was showered with roses and teddy bears as he started things off with 'Easy Come, Easy Go.' As he signed scores of autographs at the foot of the stage, it was quickly draped by female fans of every conceivable age group.' Sherman also co-founded the Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children's Foundation in Ghana, which provides education, health and welfare programs to children in need. He is survived by two sons, Christopher and Tyler, and his wife. 'Even in his final days, he stayed strong for me. That's who Bobby was – brave, gentle, and full of light,' Poublon wrote.
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Bobby Sherman dead at 81 as heartfelt tributes pour in for 60s teen heartthrob
1960s teen idol Bobby Sherman, who was beloved for his hit single Little Woman, has died at the age of 81 after a battle with cancer. Sherman largely withdrew from the entertainment industry in the 1970s but retained a devoted fanbase through the intervening years. His wife Brigitte Poublon heartbreakingly announced this March that her husband had received a diagnosis of stage four cancer. By early April, she disclosed that his body was 'shutting down' and he was 'at home with special care' after a stint in the hospital. Now a longtime friend of his has revealed Sherman succumbed to his illness this Tuesday morning at home in the Los Angeles suburb Encino, via TMZ. In a statement posted to Instagram by Sherman's pal John Stamos, Poublon shared that her husband 'left this world holding my hand.' 'It is with the heaviest heart that I share the passing of my beloved husband, Bobby Sherman,' wrote Poublon in her public statement. 'Bobby left this world holding my hand—just as he held up our life with love, courage, and unwavering grace through all 29 beautiful years of marriage. I was his Cinderella, and he was my prince charming. Even in his final days, he stayed strong for me. That's who Bobby was—brave, gentle, and full of light,' she continued. 'As he rested, I read him fan letters from all over the world—words of love and gratitude that lifted his spirits and reminded him of how deeply he was cherished. He soaked up every word with that familiar sparkle in his eye,' she recalled. 'And yes, he still found time to crack well-timed jokes—Bobby had a wonderful, wicked sense of humor. It never left him. He could light up a room with a look, a quip, or one of his classic, one-liners.' She paid tribute to his showbiz career but noted that 'to those who truly knew him, Bobby was something much more. He was a man of service.' Poublon pointed out that Sherman 'traded sold-out concerts and magazine covers for the back of an ambulance, becoming an EMT and a trainer with the LAPD. He saved lives. He showed us what real heroism looks like—quiet, selfless, and deeply human.' She shared: 'Bobby is survived by his two sons, Tyler and Christopher, and six beautiful grandchildren. He lived with integrity, gave without hesitation, and loved with his whole heart. And though our family feels his loss profoundly, we also feel the warmth of his legacy—his voice, his laughter, his music, his mission. Poublon concluded: 'Thank you to every fan who ever sang along, who ever wrote a letter, who ever sent love his way. He felt it. Rest gently, my love. With gratitude and love, Brigitte Poublon Sherman.' He became a bona fide star in 1968 on the western TV show Here Come the Brides, which was about lonely lumberjacks in Seattle after the Civil War; pictured on the series Sherman played the stammering, lovable Jeremy Bolt, one of the three brothers trying to recruit women to come to Seattle and keep the men company; pictured on the series Stamos posted Poublon's statement to Instagram with his own message: 'From one ex teen idol, to another - rest in peace Bobby Sherman.' Born in Santa Monica, Sherman was a football star in high school, before embarking on a glittering life in Hollywood as a singer and actor. His career was launched after he was asked to sing at a party in the 1960s attended by the likes of Jane Fonda, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo - Sherman's mentor. Through that party, he made the connections to land a spot as a house singer on the variety show Shindig! in 1964, per the New York Times. He became a bona fide star in 1968 on the western TV show Here Come the Brides, which centered on lonely lumberjacks in Seattle after the Civil War. Sherman played the stammering, lovable Jeremy Bolt, one of the three brothers trying to recruit women to come to Seattle and stay for a year to keep the men company. In 1969, Sherman achieved his greatest success as a singer with the bubblegum pop single Little Woman, in which he pleads with his lover to 'make up your mind' and to 'come into my world and leave your world behind.' He continued putting out hit singles, including La La La (If I Had You) in 1969, as well as Julie, Do Ya Love Me and Easy Come, Easy Go in 1970. Here Come the Brides ended in 1970, by which point Sherman had reportedly been sent more fan mail than any other on-air talent on ABC-TV. Sherman kept appearing on television, including on two of the best-remembered shows of the era, The Monkees and The Partridge Family. However, by the mid-1970s, he largely receded from the spotlight, returning for sporadic concert appearances, mainly corporate or for charity, and guest-starring on programs like Murder, She Wrote. In his later life he dedicated himself to the emergency services, becoming a paramedic and providing first aid training within the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as at the Los Angeles Police Department Academy. He also gave emergency and CPR training to new deputy hires at the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, where he held a position as a reserve deputy sheriff. Sherman was the Reserve Officer of the Year at the LAPD in 1999, and five years later he was honored in a speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Buck McKeon, Republican of California, said on the floor in 2004: 'Bobby is a stellar example of the statement "to protect and serve."' During his time as a paramedic, he still enjoyed a loyal fanbase - to the point that occasionally his two careers overlapped. 'On one call in Northridge we were working on a hemorrhaging woman who had passed out,' Sherman told the Los Angeles Times in 1993. 'Her husband kept staring at me. Finally he said: "Look, honey, it's Bobby Sherman!"' At that point the woman snapped back to consciousness and 'said: "Oh great, I must look a mess!" I told her not to worry, she looked fine,' Sherman recalled, adding that he gave her an autograph before she was hauled off into the ambulance. Amid his years of public service, Sherman treated his fans to a return to the limelight by appearing in the 1998 nostalgia-themed Teen Idols In Concert tour, alongside Davy Jones of The Monkees and Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits. In his personal life, Sherman welcomed two sons called Tyler and Christopher in the 1970s with his first wife Patti Carnel - who, after their divorce, married David Soul, Sherman's onscreen brother on Here Come The Brides. From 2010 until his death this week, Sherman was married to Brigitte Poublon, with whom he founded the Brigitte & Bobby Sherman Children's (BBSC) Foundation, aimed at education and musical training for students in Ghana. This March, Poublon announced Sherman's cancer diagnosis on her Facebook page with a shattering message to 'all of Bobby Sherman's cherished fans.' She wrote: 'As many of you know, Bobby has been retired for some time and is no longer able to participate in cameos, sign autographs, or make appearances.' Poublon then shared: 'It is with a heavy heart that we share Bobby has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. During this challenging time, we kindly ask for your understanding and respect for our privacy. Thank you so much for still remembering him. We really appreciate it.' At the start of April, she offered the public an update on his condition, explaining that he was is 'terminally ill' and 'at home with special care' after leaving the hospital. 'He was doing crossword puzzles with me in the last few days. And then all of a sudden Saturday, he turned around and…he's just sleeping more and his body's not working anymore. It's not. Everything's shutting down,' she told Fox News Digital. She disclosed his devastating plea to her, recalling: 'His last words from the hospital last night were: "Brig, I just want to go home."'
NBC News
a day ago
- NBC News
Bobby Sherman, teen idol of the 1960s and '70s, dies at 81
Bobby Sherman, whose winsome smile and fashionable shaggy mop top helped make him into a teen idol in the 1960s and '70s with bubblegum pop hits like 'Little Woman' and 'Julie, Do Ya Love Me,' has died. He was 81. His wife, Brigitte Poublon, announced the death Tuesday and family friend John Stamos posted her message on Instagram: 'Bobby left this world holding my hand — just as he held up our life with love, courage, and unwavering grace.' Sherman revealed he had Stage 4 cancer earlier this year. Sherman was a squeaky-clean regular on the covers of Tiger Beat and Sixteen magazines, often with hair over his eyes and a choker on his neck. His face was printed on lunchboxes, cereal boxes and posters that hung on the bedroom walls of his adoring fans. He landed at No. 8 in TV Guide's list of 'TV's 25 Greatest Teen Idols.' He was part of a lineage of teen heartthrobs who emerged as mass-market, youth-oriented magazines and TV took off, connecting fresh-scrubbed Ricky Nelson in the 1950s to David Cassidy in the '60s, all the way to Justin Bieber in the 2000s. Sherman had four Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart — 'Little Woman,' 'Julie, Do Ya Love Me,' 'Easy Come, Easy Go,' and 'La La La (If I Had You).' He had six albums on the Billboard 200 chart, including 'Here Comes Bobby,' which spent 48 weeks on the album chart, peaking at No. 10. His career got its jump start when he was cast in the ABC rock 'n' roll show 'Shindig!' in the mid-'60s. Later, he starred in two television series — 'Here Come the Brides' (1968-70) and 'Getting Together' (1971). After the limelight moved on, Sherman became a certified medical emergency technician and instructor for the Los Angeles Police Department, teaching police recruits first aid and CPR. He donated his salary. 'A lot of times, people say, 'Well, if you could go back and change things, what would you do?'' he told The Tulsa World in 1997. 'And I don't think I'd change a thing — except to maybe be a little bit more aware of it, because I probably could've relished the fun of it a little more. It was a lot of work. It was a lot of blood, sweat and tears. But it was the best of times.' A life-changing Hollywood party Sherman, with sky blue eyes and dimples, grew up in the San Fernando Valley, singing Ricky Nelson songs and performing with a high-school rock band. 'I was brought up in a fairly strict family,' he told the Sunday News newspaper in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1998. 'Law and order were important. Respect your fellow neighbor, remember other people's feelings. I was the kind of boy who didn't do things just to be mischievous.' He was studying child psychology at a community college in 1964 when his girlfriend took him to a Hollywood party, which would change his life. He stepped onstage and sang with the band. Afterward, guests Jane Fonda, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo asked him who his agent was. They took his number and, a few days later, an agent called him and set him up with 'Shindig!' Sherman hit true teen idol status in 1968, when he appeared in 'Here Come the Brides,' a comedy-adventure set in boom town Seattle in the 1870s. He sang the show's theme song, 'Seattle,' and starred as young logger Jeremy Bolt, often at loggerheads with brother, played by David Soul. It lasted two seasons. Following the series, Sherman starred in 'Getting Together,' a spinoff of 'The Partridge Family,' about a songwriter struggling to make it in the music business. He became the first performer to star in three TV series before the age of 30. That television exposure soon translated into a fruitful recording career: His first single, 'Little Woman,' earned a gold record in 1969. 'While the rest of the world seemed jumbled up and threatening, Sherman's smiling visage beamed from the bedroom walls of hundreds of thousands of teen-age girls, a reassuring totem against the riots, drugs, war protests and free love that raged outside,' The Tulsa World said in 1997. His movies included 'Wild In Streets,' 'He is My Brother' and 'Get Crazy.' From music to medicine Sherman pulled back from his celebrity career after several years of a frantic schedule, telling The Washington Post: 'I'd film five days a week, get on a plane on a Friday night and go someplace for matinee and evening shows Saturday and Sunday, then get on a plane and go back to the studio to start filming again. It was so hectic for three years that I didn't know what home was.' Sherman's pivot to becoming an emergency medical technician in 1988 was born out of a longtime fascination with medicine. Sherman said that affinity blossomed when he raised his sons with his first wife, Patti Carnel. They would get scrapes and bloody noses and he became the family's first-aid provider. So he started learning basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation from the Red Cross. 'If I see an accident, I feel compelled to stop and give aid even if I'm in my own car,' he told the St. Petersburg Times. 'I carry equipment with me. And there's not a better feeling than the one you get from helping somebody out. I would recommend it to everybody.' In addition to his work with the Los Angeles Police Department, he was a reserve deputy with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, working security at the courthouse. Sherman estimated that, as a paramedic, he helped five women deliver babies in the backseats of cars or other impromptu locations. In one case, he helped deliver a baby on the sidewalk and, after the birth, the new mother asked Sherman's partner what his name was. 'When he told her Bobby, she named the baby Roberta. I was glad he didn't tell her my name was Sherman,' he told the St. Petersburg Times in 1997. The teen idols grow up He was named LAPD's Reserve Officer of the Year for 1999 and received the FBI's Exceptional Service Award and the 'Twice a Citizen' Award by the Los Angeles County Reserve Foundation. In a speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2004, then-Rep. Howard McKeon wrote: 'Bobby is a stellar example of the statement 'to protect and serve.' We can only say a simple and heartfelt thank you to Bobby Sherman and to all the men and women who courageously protect and serve the citizens of America.' Later, Sherman would join the 1990s-era 'Teen Idols Tour' with former 1960s heartthrobs Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones of the Monkees and Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits. The Chicago Sun-Times in 1998 described one of Sherman's performances: 'Dressed to kill in black leather pants and white shirt, he was showered with roses and teddy bears as he started things off with 'Easy Come, Easy Go.' As he signed scores of autographs at the foot of the stage, it was quickly draped by female fans of every conceivable age group.' Sherman also co-founded the Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children's Foundation in Ghana, which provides education, health, and welfare programs to children in need. He is survived by two sons, Christopher and Tyler, and his wife. 'Even in his final days, he stayed strong for me. That's who Bobby was — brave, gentle, and full of light,' Poublon wrote.
