Rock icon battling cancer dies at 89: ‘The legend and true rocker of his generation’

EntertainmentFreddy "Boom Boom" Cannon performs at The Ponderosa Stomp at Rock n' Bowl on October 2, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Josh Brasted/Getty Images)Getty ImagesBy Brian Linder | blinder@pennlive.comFreddy Cannon, a talented rock and pop star who even had a hand in some R&B music, has died.He was 89.Billboard reported that Cannon died on July 17 in a hospice facility in California. Tom Cuddy of iHeart radio was a longtime friend of Cannon’s. Billboard said that Cuddy said Cannon died after a short battle with cancer. Cannon’s musical background was as successful as it was varied.He played guitar for the R&B group the G-Clefs on their ”Ka-Ding Dong” record, which made it to No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1956.Cannon also had a long list of successful singles that charted. The first of those was 1959’s “Tallahassee Lassie” which made it to No. 6 on the pop charts. He had another hit that year — “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” — which made it to No. 3. He delivered another chart success in 1962 with “Palisades Park” which also made it to No. 3 on the charts. Cannon released 16 albums. The first of those was “The Explosive Freddy Cannon” which came out in 1960. The last was “Boom Boom Rock ‘n’ Roll: The Best of Freddy Cannon” which was released in 2009.He was nicknamed “Boom Boom” because of the pounding drums that accompanied his hits.Friends and fans took to social media to remember Cannon after the news of his death.“Rock and Roll has lost one of its true pioneers,” Johnny Rock and Roll Radio wrote on Facebook. “My friend, my mentor — the man that taught me how to play HARD on every show — The legend and true Rocker of his generation passed away last night,” Gerry Rockey Seader wrote on Facebook. “Freddy ‘Boom Boom’ Cannon. I loved him more than anyone could now and he loved me and my 2 daughters. All the shows for over 45 years around the world. I would not be the drummer and person I am without his influence. Thank you my friend for all the great songs you recorded and your friendship. I will miss you. My heart is broken. God be with you Freddy and say hello to Jeannette in heaven, you are now with her for eternity in paradise.”“What a sad day — our dear friend Freddy ‘Boom Boom’ Cannon has passed away,” Rich Koz, who plays Svengoolie on television, wrote. “From the time we got a cold call from him saying he loved our show and had written a song about me to becoming good friends and spending time with him on and off stage, his talent, personality, and kindness will be missed.”Brian Linder is the trending editor at PennLive.com. He has more than 20 years of experience working for newspapers first in South Carolina, then Daytona Beach, Florida and now in Pennsylvania. Linder spent...