Sid Tepper

Sid Tepper
Born	(1918-06-25)June 25, 1918
Died	April 24, 2015(2015-04-24) (aged 96) Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
Occupation	Songwriter
Years active	1948–2015

Sid Tepper (June 25, 1918 – April 24, 2015) was an American songwriter, best known for his collaborations with Roy C. Bennett, which spawned several hits for Elvis Presley. Between 1945 and 1970, Tepper and Bennett published over 300 songs.

Biography

As a youth, Tepper's family moved to Brooklyn, where Tepper met his future musical collaborator, Roy C. Bennett. Their first hit was "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" (1948), recorded by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians. Over the next 22 years, the songwriting team wrote for Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughn, Dean Martin, and many more.

Tepper and Bennett adjusted well to the advent of rock 'n roll. In 1961, their song "The Young Ones" was instrumental in boosting the career of Cliff Richard, for whom they wrote 21 compositions. They went on to write 43 songs for Elvis Presley, the most of any songwriter, or song writing team (all related to his movies).

In the 1970s, Tepper suffered a heart attack, which necessitated the end of his songwriting partnership with Bennett. Tepper retired in Surfside, Florida. In 2002, he and Bennett were honored in Memphis for their part in Elvis Presley's stellar career. Tepper lived in Surfside until 2004, when he moved to a retirement community in the Miami area. In 2008, Tepper was honored by the town of Surfside for his career's work.

In June 2005, at age 86, Tepper lost his wife Lillian, after 58 years of marriage. He died on April 24, 2015, at the age of 96. Tepper was laid to rest at Lakeside Memorial Park, Miami, beside his beloved wife Lillian. He is survived by his children Susan Tepper-Kopacz, Michelle Tepper-Kapit, Brian, Warren and Jackie Tepper; grandchildren Rachel Reinberg, Jennifer Kopacz, Jessica, David, Joanna, Maxx and Samantha Tepper; great-grandchildren Ben, Sara and Lily Reinberg.