Fred Stobaugh facts for kids

Fred Stobaugh (born August 22, 1917 – died November 23, 2016) was an American retired driver and songwriter. He became famous after he sent a song called "Oh Sweet Lorraine" to a music contest. This song was about his wife of 72 years. It became a viral video in September 2013. The song even made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 music chart.

His Early Life and Family

Fred Stobaugh was born on August 22, 1917, in Peoria, Illinois. He met his future wife, Lorraine Dinquel, in 1938. They got married in 1940. Fred and Lorraine had three children together.

Lorraine passed away in April 2013. Fred Stobaugh died on November 23, 2016, in Peoria. He was 99 years old.

The Song 'Oh Sweet Lorraine'

A few months after his wife Lorraine died, Fred Stobaugh wrote the song "Oh Sweet Lorraine." He decided to enter it into a songwriting competition. This contest was held by a place called Green Shoe Studio.

A video of them recording the song became very popular. It was watched more than six million times on YouTube and Vimeo. In September 2013, "Oh Sweet Lorraine" reached number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This made Fred Stobaugh the oldest artist ever to appear on the Hot 100 chart!

Song Chart Performance

Here's how "Oh Sweet Lorraine" performed on different music charts: