He was an incredibly damaged human being, from his father leaving when he was 7 and then his mother being bi-polar and an alcoholic. Yet somehow, he rose to become one of America’s biggest entertainers — and today, everyone knows his name… Check comments ⬇️

There are good songwriters — and then there are those rare talents who can craft songs that capture the soundtrack of people’s lives, resonating across generations. The artist we’re focusing on today definitely belongs in that second category.

Beyond writing unforgettable hits, he’s enjoyed a successful solo career since the 1970s. Today, he stands as one of the world’s best-selling music artists and ranks as the fourth-best-selling solo artist in the United States, no small feat for someone who grew up with very modest means.

I Married My Friend’s Grandfather for Stability—But What He Told Me on Our Wedding Night Changed My Life

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I Married My Friend’s Grandfather for Stability—But What He Told Me on Our Wedding Night Changed My Life

Born in the Bronx, New York City, he was raised on Long Island alongside his cousin Judy, whom his parents adopted.

His family history was far from ordinary. His father, a successful businessman, had been forced to flee Nazi Germany, losing everything in the process. Though he eventually made his way to New York, he rarely spoke about the horrors of the war.

In many ways, our artist grew up in a typical working-class household. His father later became an engineer, and the community around him in Oyster Bay was filled with families like theirs, people who had survived the Second World War, left behind difficult lives in cities, and sought to build something new and better.