Jan Berry dies at age 62 in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, March 28 (UPI) -- Jan Berry, of the 1960s pop music duo Jan and Dean, died in a hospital in Los Angeles at age 62 after suffering a seizure in his nearby home.

Berry died Friday at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center. He had suffered brain damage and partial paralysis from a 1966 automobile accident, the Los Angels Times reported.

The duo sold more than 10 million records and had such hits as "Baby Talk," "Surf City," "Honolulu Lulu," "Drag City," "Dead Man's Curve," and "Little Old Lady From Pasadena."

Berry and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys co-wrote the lyrics for several Jan and Dean hits and, together, they helped develop surfing music.

"Jan and Brian influenced each other so much they had one of the most important friendships in popular music, particularly in developing the West Coast Sound," said Berry biographer Mark Moore.

Berry reportedly had an IQ of 180 and was hitting the musical charts while earning a degree in zoology at UCLA. However, the 1966 car accident cut short his plans to be a medical doctor.

He is survived by his wife, Gertrude Filip, his parents, three brothers and three sisters.