Freddy Cannon, an early rock and roll singer known for upbeat hits including "Palisades Park" and "Tallahassee Lassie," has died at the age of 89. He passed away on Friday at a hospice facility in Oxnard, California, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer, according to his longtime friend and iHeartRadio's Tom Cuddy. His death closes out a career that helped define the sound of early rock and roll, with admirers including Mick Jagger, Robert Plant and Stephen King citing his influence, and with his reputation resting partly on never slowing the tempo for a ballad.

Cannon's breakthrough came with "Tallahassee Lassie," which reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959, followed that year by "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" at No. 3. His biggest hit, "Palisades Park," peaked at No. 3 in 1962 and was later covered by artists including the Beach Boys and the Ramones. He continued to chart into the mid-1960s with songs such as "Abigail Beecher" and "Action," and made a final Hot 100 appearance in 1981 with "Let's Put the Fun Back in Rock N Roll." His representative said he held the record for the most appearances on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand."