• Neil Leslie Diamond was born Jan. 24, 1941, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Rose and Akeeba (Kieve) Diamond, a dry-goods merchant.

• He was turned on to music when Pete Seeger played at his summer camp.

• He received his first guitar as a birthday present in 1957.

• He attended New York University (pre-med) on a fencing scholarship.

• He did his first recording as the duo Neil and Jack with Jack Packer in 1960.

• He was hired as a songwriter for Sunbeam Music in Tin Pan Alley in 1962.

• His first Top 20 hit as a songwriter was "Sunday and Me," performed by Jay and the Americans in November 1965.

• He wrote the Monkees songs "I'm a Believer," "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" and "Love to Love."

• Among the other artists who have recorded his songs are Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Deep Purple, Johnny Cash, Barbra Streisand, Lulu, Chris Isaak, Waylon Jennings, UB40, Killdozer, Urge Overkill, the Groovie Ghoulies, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Smash Mouth and HIM.

• His first hit as a performer was "Solitary Man" in 1966, followed by "Cherry, Cherry" and "Kentucky Woman."

• He was married to schoolteacher Jaye Posner from 1963-69. They had two daughters, Marjorie and Elyn. From 1969-95, he was married to Marcia Murphey. They had two sons, Jesse and Micah. He's been with Australian native Rachel Farley since 1996.

• He performed the song "Dry Your Eyes," which he had written with Robbie Robertson, at The Band's Last Waltz in 1976.

• He starred in a remake of the Al Jolson classic "The Jazz Singer" in 1980 with Sir Laurence Olivier and Lucie Arnaz.

• Diamond made a cameo in "Saving Silverman," a comedy about best friends in a Neil Diamond cover band.

• Sirius Satellite Radio has a channel called Neil Diamond Radio.

• "Sweet Caroline" is the theme song of Red Sox Nation, even though Diamond is a Yankees fan.

• He noted in 2007 that the song was inspired by seeing Caroline Kennedy on the cover of LIFE magazine.

• The new album "Home Before Dark" debuted at No. 1 on May 15, 2008, passing Bob Dylan as the oldest artist to top the charts.

• With his debut released in 1966, he also became the artist who has taken the longest to top the album chart with an original work.