Paul Anka

One of the most accomplished entertainers of the late 20th century, Paul Anka began his career as a teen idol with the top-selling "Diana" in 1957 before charting repeatedly over the next five decades as both a singer and a songwriter whose compositions included the theme to "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (NBC, 1962-1992) and Frank Sinatra's signature song, "My Way." Noted as much for his knack for crafting memorable pop songs and his business acumen as for his breezy vocal delivery, Anka successfully rode out the industry's shift from traditional pop to rock in the early 1960s by refashioning himself as a nightclub singer while writing blockbuster hits for Buddy Holly, Tom Jones and Sinatra. He rebounded in the early 1970s with a string of easy listening hits, including "(You're) Having My Baby," and remained a staple of Las Vegas and the international nightclub scene. His vast body of work kept him in the public eye well into the new millennium, and continued to yield hits with covers of early work and newer material, like "This Is It" (2009), which he penned with Michael Jackson. A tenacious and iconic figure in the music industry, Anka served as an exemplary model for singers and other musicians who hoped to take control of their careers and truly do it their way.