Darin, Bobby

1936 - Born on the 14th day of May in Bronx, New York, USA.

1956 - His agent negotiated a contract for him with Decca Records, where Bill Haley & His Comets had risen to fame.

1958 - His career took off this year when he wrote and recorded his unique song "Splish Splash"; it became an instant hit, selling more than a million copies.

1959 - Recorded "Dream Lover", a ballad that became a multi-million seller.

1960 - Co-starred with 18-year-old actress Sandra Dee. They fell in love and were married this year.

1961 - He had one son, Dodd Mitchell Darin.

1962 - Won the Golden Globe Award for "Most Promising Male Newcomer", for his role in Pressure Point.

1963 - Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a shell-shocked soldier in Captain Newman, M.D.

1966 - He had another big hit record, but this time it was with folksinger Tim Hardin's "If I Were a Carpenter" rather than the lighter material he had been recording earlier in the decade.

1967 - He and his wife divorced this year.

1969 - Started another record company, Direction Records, putting out folk and protest music.

1971 - He underwent his first heart surgery in an attempt to correct some of the heart damage he had lived with since childhood.

1972 - Starred in his own television variety show, on NBC, The Bobby Darin Amusement Company, which ran for two years.

1973 - Married Andrea Yeager in June of this year.

       - He died on 20th of December, following surgery to repair his heart valve. In accordance with his wishes, his body was donated to the UCLA Medical Center for research purposes.

1999 - He was voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.