OJAI, CA (CelebrityAccess) — Scott Jared Simon, a longtime member, multi-instrumentalist, and managing partner of the famed do-wop group known to fans as Screamin’ Scott Simon, died on September 5th. He was 75.
His daughter Nina Simon told the New York Times that Simon died of sinus cancer while in hospice care in Ojai, Calif.
While not a founding member, Simon joined the group in 1970, just a year after the group was formed, stepping in for founding member Joe Witkin, Sha Na Na’s original keyboard player after he returned to medical school.
Simon remained with the group until their retirement in 2022, both on stage and serving as a managing partner for the band behind the scenes
Along with his other duties with the band, Simon was also a songwriter with credits that include ‘Sandy’ a song featured in the musical film “Grease” starring John Travolta.
“Sha Na Na satisfied my collegiate dream, which was not to have to work for a living,” Simon told The Kansas City Star in 1987. “The idea was, you would do just what you liked and somehow the money would take care of itself.”
