Benny Mardones was born Ruben Armand Mardones on November 9, 1946, in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, Ruben Sr., was originally from Santiago, Chile, and he left the family when Benny was an infant and returned to his native country. Mardones had a sister, two half-brothers, and two half-sisters who live in Chile. Mardones grew up in Savage, Maryland, and graduated from Howard High School in Ellicott City, Maryland in 1964. He joined the U.S. Navy after high school and served in the Vietnam War. After his discharge, he moved to New York City to pursue his singing and songwriting career, and composed several songs with writing partner Alan Miles. Mardones began his career as a songwriter, writing songs for people like Brenda Lee and Chubby Checker. He demoed the songs he wrote and Tommy Mottola suggested that he record his own songs. From that point he wrote and recorded over 100 songs. Mardones' band was the Hurricanes.
Into the Night
Mardones co-wrote the 1980 soft rock hit "Into the Night" with Robert Tepper. The track was featured on his second albumNever Run, Never Hide, and peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum. Its success catapulted Mardones into the limelight, but he spiraled into substance abuse that resulted in his being dropped by his label Polydor Records. Though he eventually overcame his addiction, Mardones' career produced no other hits. "Into the Night" charted a second time in 1989 when Phoenix, Arizonaradio stationKZZP ran a segment titled "Where Are They Now?", and Scott Shannon, then-program director for Pirate Radio in Los Angeles, added "Into the Night" to its playlist. Other stations across the country followed suit and "Into the Night" was once again a hit, peaking at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Curb Records signed Mardones and he recorded "Into the Night '89." The track appeared on his self-titled release that year.
Personal life
On October 4, 2011, he married his third wife, Jane Braemer, originally from Denmark, and they resided in Menifee, California. Mardones had a son, Michael, from a previous marriage.
Illness and death
Mardones was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2000, but continued to tour and perform until the mid-2010s. In July 2018, he underwent deep brain stimulation to reduce his motor symptoms, but complications from multiple surgeries resulted in coordination issues that resulted in repeated falls and hip injuries. Mardones died on June 29, 2020 at age 73 from complications of the disease.
