Greg Kihn, a singer-songwriter who helped define the sound of 1980s power-pop with hits like “Jeopardy” and “The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em),” has died. His family announced today that he passed due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 75.

His family’s announcement begins:

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Greg Kihn, an iconic figure in the realm of rock music. Greg lost his battle with Alzheimer’s disease on 8/13/24 at the age of 75. Known for his magnetic stage presence and unique storytelling that captivated audiences around the globe. He was not merely a musician but a cultural phenomenon whose influence will resonate for generations to come.

Born in 1949, Kihn grew up in Baltimore but moved to San Francisco in 1972. There, he earned a record deal with the Beserkley label and eventually released his self-titled debut in 1976. It marked the start of a prolific, punny sequence of albums including Next Of Kihn (1978), RocKihnRoll (1981), Kihntinued (1982), Kihntagious 1984) and the late-career comeback Rekihndled (2017). I was going to say his relatives could easily start a tribute band called Next Of Kihn if they wanted to, but he beat me to that dad joke by about 46 years.

As the leader of the Greg Kihn Band, Kihn specialized in spunky, eminently catchy new wave tunes that fit right into the early MTV zeitgeist. He broke through to a national audience with 1981’s “The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em),” which rose to #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Over the next few years he kept launching songs into the middle range of the chart but soared all the way to #2 with “Jeopardy,” an MTV favorite that spawned the Weird Al Yankovic parody “I Lost On Jeopardy.”

From 1996 to 2012, Kihn was a morning radio DJ for the Bay Area classic rock station KUFX. He also hosted a nighttime radio show that was syndicated across the US. Also in 1996, he began publishing a series of horror novels including Horror Show — nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel — plus Shade Of Pale, Big Rock Beat and Mojo Hand. His 2003 collection Carved In Rock: Short Stories By Musicians included submissions by g Pete Townshend, Joan Jett, and Ray Davies among others. Later, he published horror stories themed around the Beatles (Rubber Soul) and Rolling Stones (Painted Black).

Below, enjoy some of Kihn’s biggest hits.