The clean-cut teen idol of the 1950s broke the hearts of many teenagers

His song Diana helped his music career skyrocket, placing Paul Anka, one of the most renowned singers of the 20th century, under the limelight.

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However, his road to stardom wasn’t an easy one. Speaking to Newsday back in 1982, Anka said, “I started out at a time when it was not easy to be seriously accepted at such an early age. I realized that to succeed, you have to have some sort of a grand plan and ambition – some sort of a master plan. I decided right then, when ’Diana’ became a hit, that I was going to become as successful as I possibly could in the song-writing field.”

At the time he started singing and writing songs, the Put Your Head on My Shoulder singer was just 14.

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