Four Seasons songwriter Bob Crewe dies

Bob Crewe, a songwriter who penned Four Seasons hits including “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Walk Like a Man,” died Thursday. He was 83.

Though Crewe wrote songs that would be sung by many musicians, including Rays and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, he came to fame with his work songwriting for the Four Seasons, who had trouble landing a hit until Crewe came along. Crewe ended up producing “Sherry,” a 1962 song that would turn out to be the Four Seasons’ first number 1 hit. He went on to write multiple hits for both the Four Seasons and for Valli as a solo artist.

Along with fellow songwriter Kenny Nolan, Crewe also wrote LaBelle’s 1974 “Lady Marmalade,” a hit song that gained traction again decades later in 2001 when Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Pink recorded a cover of the song for the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack.

Crewe was inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 1985.