1960s teen idol Bobby Sherman who was beloved for his hit single Little Woman, has been diagnosed with stage four cancer.
Sherman, now 81, largely withdrew from the entertainment industry in the early 1970s, but has retained a devoted fanbase through the years.
His wife Brigitte Poublon announced his diagnosis on her Facebook page with a heartbreaking message to to all of Bobby Sherman’s cherished fans’
She added: ‘As many of you know, Bobby has been retired for some time and is no longer able to participate in cameos, sign autographs, or make appearances.’
Poublon continued: ‘It is with a heavy heart that we share Bobby has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. During this challenging time, we kindly ask for your understanding and respect for our privacy.
In conclusion Poublon, who married Sherman in Las Vegas in 2010, wrote: ‘Thank you so much for still remembering him. We really appreciate it.’
1960s teen idol Bobby Sherman, who was beloved for his hit single Little Woman, has been diagnosed with stage four cancer; pictured 1971
Born in Santa Monica, Sherman was a football star in high school with the all-American looks and winning smile that propelled him to stardom.
His career was launched after he was asked to sing at a party in the 1960s attended by the likes of Jane Fonda, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo – Sherman’s mentor.
Through that party, he made the connections necessary to land a spot as a house singer on the popular variety show Shindig! in 1964.
He became a bona fide star in 1968 on the western TV show Here Come The Brides, which was about lonely lumberjacks in Seattle after the Civil War.
Sherman played the stammering, lovable Jeremy Bolt, one of the three brothers trying to recruit women to come to Seattle and stay for a year to keep the men company.
In 1969, Sherman achieved his greatest success as a singer with the bubblegum pop single Little Woman, in which he pleads with his lover to ‘make up your mind’ and to ‘come into my world and leave your world behind.’
Here Come The Brides ended in 1970, by which point Sherman had reportedly gotten more fan mail than any other on-air talent on ABC-TV.
He continued putting out hit singles, including La La La (If I Had You) in 1969, as well as Julie, Do Ya Love Me and Easy Come, Easy Go in 1970.
Sherman also kept appearing on television, including on two of the best-remembered shows of the era, The Monkees and The Partridge Family.
However, by the mid-1970s, he largely receded from the spotlight, returning only for sporadic concert appearances, mainly corporate or for charity.
In his later life, he dedicated himself to the emergency services, becoming a paramedic and providing first aid training within the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as at the Los Angeles Police Department Academy.
Sherman was the Reserve Officer of the Year at the LAPD in 1999, and five years later he was honored in a speech on the floor of the U.S. House Of Representatives.
Congressman Buck McKeon, Republican of California, said on the floor in 2004: ‘Bobby is a stellar example of the statement “to protect and serve.”‘
Amid his years of public service, Sherman treated his fans to a return to the limelight by appearing in the 1998 nostalgia-themed Teen Idols In Concert tour, alongside Davy Jones of The Monkees and Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits.
