Paul Anka

Paul Anka married Anne de Zogreb on February 16, 1963 and divorced her on October 2, 2000.

He married his second wife Anna Anka on July 26, 2008 and divorced her in 2010.

He had five daughters named Alexandra, Amanda, Alicia, Anthea, Amelia from his first marriage and one son named Ethan from his second marriage.

Paul Anka was born on July 30, 1941 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His father, Andrew Emile ‘Andy’ Anka, Sr. was a restaurant owner. His mother was Camelia Anka. Both his parents were immigrants from Lebanon.

He was the eldest child and had a brother and a sister.

He attended the ‘Fisher Park High School’ where he formed a vocal group called ‘Bobbysoxers’.

During his schooldays he studied music under Frederick Karam and also sang with the choir at the ‘St Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church’.

Paul Anka recorded his first solo ‘I Confess’ in 1955 at the age of 14. In 1956 he recorded a single ‘Blau-Wile Deverest Fontaine’ which did not become a hit.

In 1957, Anka returned to New York and sang ‘Diana’, a song that he had written himself, for Don Costa of ABC-Paramount Records which made him famous as it topped the American and Canadian music charts.

His next four songs including ‘Its Time to Cry’ and ‘My Heart Sings’, released in 1958 and bagged the fourth and fifteenth positions respectively in the charts.

He wrote the song ‘It Doesn’t Matter Anymore’ for Buddy Holly which was recorded in 1959.

His next singles ‘Lonely Boy’ and ‘Put Your Head on My Shoulders’ in 1959 and ‘Puppy Love’ in 1960 were also hits.

A street in Ottawa was named after Paul Anka in 1972.

He has been honored with a star on the ‘Hollywood Walk of fame’.

He was pictured on a commemorative postage stamp brought by the Canadian postal department on June 29, 2007.

He was inducted into the ‘Canadian Songwriter’s Hall of Fame’ in 2008.