Robert Hazard, Philadelphia Musician, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” Dies

Robert Hazard, a Philadelphia area musician known for writing Cyndi Lauper’s hit "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," died on Tuesday at age 59.

Robert Hazard and his band, the Heroes, were successful in Philadelphia area during the 1980s. Hazard’s self-titled debut from 1982 was his biggest hit, selling over 300,000 copies. He performed songs from the album on national TV and Rolling Stone Magazine gave the album four stars.

In 1982, Robert Hazard was introduced to Cyndi Lauper who was still an up and coming pop musician. They met in Hazard’s Philadelphia apartment where he played for her his song "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." Lauper recorded the song and it became a world-wide hit and international chart-topper. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was the first major single by Cyndi Lauper and launched her career as a superstar.

Robert Hazard’s roots are in folk music and he released folk albums to little fanfare for most of his career. His most recent album, Troubadour, was released last October on the Rykodisc imprint.

He died from complications of pancreatic cancer at a New York hospital on Tuesday. He leaves behind a wife of 22 years, two sons and a daughter.

Source:Phillyrockers.com