The biggest popstars of the 70s: where are they now?

With Frank Sinatra himself saying “he’s next” after seeing Barry Manilow perform, it seemed inevitable that the rising 70s star would become a chart-topping sensation. Known for romantic ballads like “Mandy” as well as hits like “Copacabana”, Barry charmed audiences with his old-school singing style during his many sell-out live performances, later going on to produce Grammy-nominated works for Bette Midler and Dionne Warwick.

The Could It Be Magic hitmaker is still packing out arenas today, with a final UK tour scheduled for 2026. Barry recently shared via his Instagram that he would be undergoing surgery for a cancerous spot on his lung in the New Year, though later updated fans that he was “feeling great” and would be adding more shows to his March calendar.

Pop-rock powerhouse Billy Joel burst onto the 70s music scene when his second album Piano Man became a hit in 1973, followed by the astronomical success of The Stranger in 1977, which went 10x Platinum. The genre-bending artist was beloved for his deep, narrative lyrics combined with jaunty melodies, reaching chart-topping success with the likes of “Uptown Girl”.

An enduring sensation, Billy opened up about his brain disorder diagnosis in 2025, which led him to cancel his upcoming concerts, though he told Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast he was “feeling good”. The singer returned to the stage for the first time earlier this month, joining the band Turnstiles on stage in Florida  – though he told The Palm Beach Post, “I wasn’t planning on working tonight”.

Equal parts pop sensation and chart-topping songwriter, Carole King had a record-breaking 118 songs that she’d either written or co-written chart on the Billboard Hot 100 throughout her career. As well as co-writing hits like Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”, her landmark folk-pop album Tapestry (1971) won several Grammys and cemented her as a force to be reckoned with.

Though she’s now leading a quieter life on a sprawling Idaho ranch, Carole is still a force in the music industry, having written music for the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect in 2021. Her legacy was also celebrated in the show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which debuted on Broadway in 2014.

Teen heartthrob David Cassidy found astronomical fame after charming audiences on The Partridge Family (1970–74), later embarking on a music career that would give rise to the term “Cassidymania”. With pop-rock jams like “Cherish” and “Could It Be Forever”, David was not only a musical sensation, but inspired a degree of teen mania that had scarcely been seen since The Beatles.

The hitmaker passed away from liver failure in 2017 after continuing to act and sing for most of his life, releasing his final studio album A Touch of Blue in 2003. “I love that I’ve had an amazing life that has touched millions of people all over the world,” he told People shortly before his death. “I’m flattered. The world needs more kindness.”

A fellow TV star-turned-pop idol, David’s younger half-brother Shaun Cassidy earned acclaim for his role in The Hardy Boys (1977–1979), going on to become a Grammy-nominated popstar with chart-topping hits like "Da Doo Ron Ron” and "That's Rock 'n' Roll”. The singer later returned to his TV roots, becoming a popular TV producer and screenwriter for shows like American Gothic (1995–96).

Fans of the hitmaker’s music will be ecstatic to know he’s currently embarking on his first concert tour in decades, framed as a “live memoir”, according to Shaun. “There’s a full-circle experience here,” he told The Kelly Clarkson Show earlier this month. “Everybody’s gone out and lived a life. And hey – me too.”

A country-pop star prior to her turn in Grease, Olivia Newton-John scored a Grammy for Record of the Year with her 1974 song “I Honestly Love You”, later earning more notoriety for her powerful voice thanks to the hit film. In fact, it was John Travolta himself who knew she’d be perfect to play Sandy, casting director Joel Thurm told People, adding that the star “had great respect for her as an artist".

Olivia passed away in 2022 after a battle with breast cancer, leaving behind a legacy of timeless pop songs like “Physical” and “Xanadu”. “What people see out there is magic, it’s media magic,” Olivia told Interview Magazine in 2011. “It’s not very real and it’s very glamorous, but you have to keep a sense of you through it all.”

The Bee Gees, composed of brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, remain one of the biggest groups in pop music history; after first stepping onto the scene in the 60s with hits like “To Love Somebody”, they later became one of the biggest bands in disco thanks to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (1977) followed by timeless tracks like ‘Stayin’ Alive”.

The decade-defining group effectively disbanded after the death of Maurice in 2003, with the surviving duo occasionally reuniting for one-off performances. After Robin’s passing in 2012, Barry has continued to perform as a solo artist; the star received a Kennedy Centre Honour in 2023, where Michael Bublé performed a tribute to the Bee Gees frontman.