Singer and rock and roll star Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon passed away on July 17th. The singer was 89 years old. 

Cannon became a frequent friend and collaborator to horror host Svengoolie, writing and performing popular songs like “Hey Svengoolie” and “The Svengoolie Stomp.”

In a Facebook post, Rich Koz (Svengoolie) said of Cannon: "His enthusiasm, sense of humor, and countless stories of his rock and roll world made knowing him a wonderful experience. I will miss him."

Before his collaborations with Svengoolie, Cannon reached teen music idol status in 1959 with the song “Tallahassee Lassie.” The song was originally based on a poem that had been penned by Cannon’s mother. During an interview with the Boca Raton News, Cannon revealed that the poem, originally titled "Rock ‘n’ Roll Baby," was rewritten by producers Frank Slade and Bob Crewe. Eventually, the recording was retitled and reached #6 on the U.S. pop chart. Later, it was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA after selling over a million copies.

The popular song caught the attention of television host Dick Clark, who invited Cannon to appear on the program American Bandstand. Cannon recalled his first time performing on the popular variety series during a 1982 interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

“I remember thinking, ‘This is the big time. I’m going to be on American Bandstand and millions of people are going to be watching,” said the musician. “But the thing that knocked me out was that there was no rehearsal…You just found your mark and did your song. Nothing was really planned on that show, and I think that’s what made it work. It was all spontaneous.”

The singer later had success with songs including “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” and “Palisades Park.”

Cannon was so iconic that his music would serve as inspiration. Years later, he would be celebrated by rock and roll stars like Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Presley.

According to Cannon’s memoir, Where the Action Is! Rolling Stones’ frontman Mick Jagger stated that the group’s iconic hit, “Brown Sugar,” was influenced by Cannon. “Freddy Cannon inspired Brown Sugar,” said Jagger. “I wrote the song in Australia, and it has a good groove. The groove is similar to Freddy Cannon’s Tallahassee Lassie.’ That was the groove we were going after.”

During a 2012 interview with The Daily Item, Cannon advised any hopefuls looking for fame in the music industry not to be bogged down by fear and pressure. “If you love something, you’ve gotta chase it,” said the performer.