Greg Kihn, Whose 'Jeopardy' Inspired a 'Weird Al' Parody, Dies at 75

Greg Kihn, leader of the popular '70s and '80s Greg Kihn Band, died August 13 after battling Alzheimer's disease. He was 75.

Kihn scored a trio of Top 40 hits, most famously the catchy "Jeopardy," which was lodged at no. 2 on the charts in 1983, held back only by Michael Jackson's "Beat It."

In a strange twist, both "Beat It" and "Jeopardy" were spun into hugely popular parodies by "Weird Al" Yankovic that same year. Yankovic acknowledged Kihn's passing on Thursday with an Instagram post.

Kihn's other biggest hit singles were "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" (1981) and "Lucky" (1985). His band released some two dozen albums between 1976 and 2017, often with titles that were puns of his surname. Among them, "Kihnspiracy" in 1983 was the pick of the litter, soaring to no. 15 on the Billboard 200.

Born in Baltimore on July 10, 1949, he kicked off his career in 1974, 10 years after being wowed watching the Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show." He had a record deal within two years.

After the success of "Jeopardy," Kihn toured throughout the '80s. From 1996-2012, he was a wildly popular DJ on the Bay Area's KUFX, playing classic rock.

Also starting in 1996, he began a career as a horror novelist.

He is survived by his wife, his two children, and his two grandsons.