Camille Quattrone Ridarelli, born on August 15, 1943, was the wife of Bobby Rydell, an American actor, and singer. She was a mother of two children, Jennifer Ridarelli and Robert Ridarelli. Camille was actively involved in her children’s school activities as she highly valued education, having gone to school herself.
Camille married Bobby Rydell in 1968, and they were together for 35 years until her death in 2003. Her husband married another woman after her death, Linda Hoffman, in 2009.
Her Husband
Camille’s husband mimicked singers he watched on tv growing up. His father took him around clubs in South Philadelphia, asking them to let him sing and do mimickings. At 8, Bobby’s reputation had already preceded him, leading to an appearance on TV Teen Club, a talent show; Camille’s husband won the show, and he was recruited into the cast by the show’s presenter Paul Whiteman.
Camille’s husband’s health started to deteriorate in 2012, and he had to cancel his tours; the same year, he had a liver and kidney transplant at Thomas Jefferson University. Months after his surgery, Bobby returned to the stage, performing nationally and internationally. Camille’s husband died on April 5, 2022, aged 79, from complications of pneumonia.
The Music Career of Camille’s Husband.
Bobby Rydell started his music career by playing in several bands in Philadelphia but did not manage any success in his music. He later signed a contract with Cameo Records and did several songs that did not do well, but Kissin’ Time made it to the charts in the late 1950s.
After Bobby made his breakthrough in music with his song Kissin’ Time, he went on an Australia tour with Marv Johnson, The Crickets, The Champs, Lonnie Lee, Billy Craddock, and The Everly Brothers. His second song to achieve success was We Got Love, and afterward, many songs and albums followed, including; Little Bitty Girl, Swingin’ School, and Wild One, among others.
Camille’s husband became the youngest to perform at the Copacabana nightclub in New York City. Given his success at 19, his father resigned and became his road manager. Bobby’s song Wildwood Days, released in 1963, was top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, placing the Wildwood community in the spotlight.
In 1964, Rydell left Cameo Records and signed with Capitol Records. However, his popularity declined with the British music invasion; he started performing on television, including The Danny Thomas Show, The Red Skeleton Show, and The Milton Berle Show. Camile’s husband performed with several bands in his later years; he was touring the world performing under The Golden Boys in his last days.
Death
Camille was battling cancer, and she made sure she used the last days of her life well; she accompanied her husband to most of his performances and made fun of every moment. Even before her death, she was joyful, and she was the one who consoled her husband, who knew that she would die any time.
She died on September 15, 2003, due to cancer complications. She was buried at the Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery in Springfield, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA.
