Sharon Sheeley
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Sharon Sheeley (April 4, 1940 – May 17, 2002) was an American songwriter born in California in 1940 whose work brought success to artists like Glen Campbell, Ricky Nelson, Brenda Lee, and Sheeley's former fiancee, Eddie Cochran. In 1958, Ricky Nelson reached the top of the charts with her song "Poor Little Fool." It was also the first number-one song to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 list. At age 19, she was the youngest woman to write an American number-one hit. In 1959 Eddie Cochran reached the charts with their co-written song "Somethin' Else."
Sheeley, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran were traveling in a private hire taxi to a London airport on the night of April 16, 1960 when it blew a tire and slammed into a lamp post. All three were rushed to hospital. Cochran, who had been thrown from the vehicle, suffered fatal brain injuries and died the next day, at the age of 21. Sheeley suffered a broken pelvis and Vincent broke his ribs and collarbone, and added further damage to his already weak leg.
Following the accident she returned to the United States, where she collaborated with musician/songwriter, Jackie DeShannon on a string of chart-toppers, including Brenda Lee's "Dum Dum" and "Heart In Hand," and Irma Thomas's "Breakaway".
In 1961 she married Los Angeles disc jockey Jimmy O'Neill. They divorced five years later but remained friends. Five days after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage, she died on May 17, 2002 in Los Angeles at the age of 62.
In August 2000, RPM records released a collection of her songs that were recorded in the early 60's by a group of studio musicians that included then-unknown Glen Campbell, Leon Russell, David Gates, Hal Blaine and Herb Alpert.
Her other songwriting credits include "Cherished Memories", recorded by Eddie Cochran, and "Hurry Up", recorded by Ritchie Valens.
