Freddy 'Boom Boom' Cannon, a rock and roll artist whose career took flight in the late 1950s, has died at the age of 89. The singer, celebrated for energetic songs such as "Tallahassee Lassie" and "Palisades Park," died Friday following a brief fight with cancer, his friend and iHeart Radio producer Tom Cuddy confirmed.

Cannon's children, Conny Weber and Billy Cannon, were with him in hospice care in California during his final days, according to a report from Deadline. His death marks the end of an era for a performer whose rise to fame occurred between the peak popularity of Elvis Presley and the arrival of The Beatles.

Known for his upbeat performances, Cannon was a frequent guest on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand." Clark often requested Cannon to open his oldies concerts, recognizing his ability to energize audiences with tempo-driven rock and roll.

"I had never seen a performer who kept his performance so upbeat and fun," Cuddy recalled of Cannon, noting that the singer "didn't do ballads."

Cannon's influence extended to other prominent musicians. Mick Jagger has credited "Tallahassee Lassie" as an inspiration for The Rolling Stones' 1971 song "Brown Sugar." Author Stephen King also referenced Cannon in multiple books.

Born Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr. on December 4, 1936, in Lynn, Massachusetts, Cannon relocated to Philadelphia at the suggestion of Dick Clark. There, Clark proposed edits to "Tallahassee Lassie," which ultimately reached number 6 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in 1959 and number 13 on the R&B chart.

Cannon's autobiography, "Where the Action Is," was published in 2011. He was married to his high school sweetheart, Jeanette, with whom he had three children: Conny, Billy, and John. John Cannon died in April 2026, and Jeanette passed away in 2024. He is survived by his children Conny and Billy, his sister Mary Lou, his son-in-law Jim, daughter-in-law Beth, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

"We would like to thank everyone for their love and support throughout our dad’s life," Weber said in a statement on behalf of the family. "He will be remembered as a rock and roll icon. His music will live forever in our hearts."