Current:Home > Contact-usKihn of rock and roll: Greg Kihn of ‘80s ‘Jeopardy’ song fame dies at 75-InfoLens
Kihn of rock and roll: Greg Kihn of ‘80s ‘Jeopardy’ song fame dies at 75
View Date:2024-12-23 11:35:15
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Greg Kihn, a rock and roll musician best known for his ‘80s hit songs “Jeopardy” and “The Breakup Song,” has died.
Kihn died of Alzheimer’s disease on Tuesday, his management team said in a statement posted to Kihn’s website. He was 75.
He was born on July 10, 1949, in Baltimore and moved to the San Francisco area in the 1970s. He was signed to Beserkley Records. With a songwriting style that blended folk, classic rock, blues and pop, his Greg Kihn Band had their first hit with “The Breakup Song,” released in 1981.
In 1983, the band’s song “Jeopardy” rose to No. 2 on the Billboard HOT 100 songs chart behind Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” The song was also seen and heard regularly in the early years of MTV.
Kihn’s albums often carried entertaining titles that played off his name — from “RocKihnRoll” to “Kihntinued” to “Kihntagious and “Citizen Kihn.”
Martha Quinn, an original MTV VJ, posted to that effect in her tribute Thursday on social media. “My condolences go out to his loved ones, and thank you Greg for the Rock KIHN Roll,” Quinn wrote.
“Weird Al” Yankovic did a parody of the “Jeopardy” song in the ‘80s called “I Lost on Jeopardy.” Kihn said he loved it and that it gave his song more of an afterlife than it might otherwise have had, Variety reported.
“It was a brilliant parody,” Kihn said. “He invited me to appear in his video, and I had a ball.”
Kihn was also a longtime DJ starting in the mid-1990s for KUFX radio in the San Francisco Bay Area and was a nationally syndicated nighttime radio host.
Kihn also wrote novels and short stories.
On his birthday in July, Kihn posted on his Facebook page — addressing his fans as Kihnfolk — thanking them for the birthday wishes and apologizing for not posting an update for nearly a year.
“After so many years of touring as well as doing radio shows ... it’s finally time I get to chill out,” the post said. “Thank you to each and every one of you for all your love and support now and over the years. Rock on!”
veryGood! (3359)
Related
- Taylor Swift gifts 7-year-old '22' hat after promising to meet her when she was a baby
- Former West Virginia jail officer pleads guilty to civil rights violation in fatal assault on inmate
- Georgia remains part of College Football Playoff bracket projection despite loss
- Georgia remains part of College Football Playoff bracket projection despite loss
- Quincy Jones laid to rest at private family funeral in Los Angeles
- Black women notch historic Senate wins in an election year defined by potential firsts
- DWTS’ Sasha Farber and Jenn Tran Prove They're Closer Than Ever Amid Romance Rumors
- Gisele Bündchen Makes First Major Appearance Since Pregnancy
- Queen Bey and Yale: The Ivy League university is set to offer a course on Beyoncé and her legacy
- North Carolina offers schools $1 million to help take students on field trips
Ranking
- Trump’s economic agenda for his second term is clouding the outlook for mortgage rates
- Vogue Model Dynus Saxon Charged With Murder After Stabbing Attack
- Mark Zuckerberg Records NSFW Song Get Low for Priscilla Chan on Anniversary
- Review: 'Emilia Pérez' is the most wildly original film you'll see in 2024
- Ariana Grande's Brunette Hair Transformation Is a Callback to Her Roots
- Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani wins reelection to Arizona US House seat
- ‘Emilia Pérez’ wouldn’t work without Karla Sofía Gascón. Now, she could make trans history
- Disney Store's Black Friday Sale Just Started: Save an Extra 20% When You Shop Early
Recommendation
-
The White Stripes drop lawsuit against Donald Trump over 'Seven Nation Army' use
-
Investigation into Chinese hacking reveals ‘broad and significant’ spying effort, FBI says
-
Drone footage captures scope of damage, destruction from deadly Louisville explosion
-
Inflation ticked up in October, CPI report shows. What happens next with interest rates?
-
Judith Jamison, acclaimed Alvin Ailey American dancer and director, dead at 81
-
Does the NFL have a special teams bias when hiring head coaches? History indicates it does
-
Prosecutors say some erroneous evidence was given jurors at ex-Sen. Bob Menendez’s bribery trial
-
NYC bans unusual practice of forcing tenants to pay real estate brokers hired by landlords