Overview
- Cannon died on Friday, July 17, 2026, at a hospice in Oxnard, California, after a short cancer diagnosis, his longtime friend Tom Cuddy and a representative confirmed.
- His children Conny Weber and Billy Cannon were with him in his final days and the family said he is also survived by a sister, grandchildren and great‑grandchildren; he was predeceased by son John and his wife Jeanette.
- Cannon rose to fame in the late 1950s and early 1960s with energetic singles including “Tallahassee Lassie,” “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” and his biggest hit “Palisades Park.”
- He became a staple of television pop music shows, reportedly making about 110 appearances on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, and later cited as an influence by artists such as Mick Jagger and Robert Plant.
- Cannon continued recording and performing into 2026, was working on music at his home until a July hospitalization that forced him to cancel a scheduled July 11 interview, and his death has prompted tributes that underscore his role in the post‑Elvis, pre‑Beatles era of rock and roll.