Benny Mardones
Benjamin Ruben Armand Mardones (November 9, 1946 – June 29, 2020) was an American pop/rock singer and songwriter noted for his hit single "Into the Night", which hit the top 20 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart twice, in 1980 (#11) and again in 1989 (#20). Early life and career. Benny Mardones was born on November 9, 1946 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, Ruben Sr., who was originally from Santiago, Chile, left the family when Benny was an infant and returned to Chile. Mardones had a sister, two half-brothers, and two half-sisters who live in Chile . Mardones grew up in Savage, Maryland, and graduated from Howard High School in Ellicott City, Maryland in 1964. He joined the U.S. Navy after high school and served in the Vietnam War. After his discharge, he moved to New York City to pursue his singing and songwriting career, and composed several songs with writing partner Alan Miles. Mardones began his career as a songwriter, writing songs for people like Brenda Lee and Chubby Checker. He demoed the songs he wrote, and Tommy Mottola suggested that he record his own songs. From that point he wrote and recorded over 100 songs . Mardones's band was the Hurricanes. Into the Night. Mardones co-wrote the 1980 soft rock hit "Into the Night" with Robert Tepper. The track was featured on his second album "Never Run, Never Hide", and peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum. Its success catapulted Mardones into the limelight, but he spiraled into substance abuse that resulted in his being dropped by his label Polydor Records. Though he eventually overcame his addiction, Mardones's career produced no other hits. In a TV interview on KTLA "a while" before his death, Mardones recalled how the song  was inspired by a conversation between him and co-author Robert Tepper, after seeing a 16 year old neighbour take Benny's dog for a walk. In the real life scene, there was no romantic link. (YouTube video) "Into the Night" charted a second time in 1989 when Phoenix, Arizona radio station KZZP ran a segment titled "Where Are They Now?", and Scott Shannon, then-program director for Pirate Radio in Los Angeles, added "Into the Night" to its playlist. Other stations across the country followed suit and "Into the Night" was once again a hit, peaking at #20 on  the Billboard Hot 100. Curb Records signed Mardones and he recorded "Into the Night '89", The track appeared on his self-titled release that year. Personal life and death. On October 4, 2011, Mardones married his third wife, Jane Braemer, originally from Denmark, and they resided in Menifee, California. Mardones had a son, Michael (born 1985), from a previous marriage. Mardones was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2000, but continued to tour and perform until the mid-2010s. In July 2018, he underwent deep brain stimulation to reduce his motor symptoms, but complications from multiple surgeries resulted in coordination issues  that led to repeated falls and hip injuries. He died at age 73 from complications of the disease on June 29, 2020.