1960s pop idol Bobby Rydell enters first-time offender program following DUI charge

1960s idol Rydell enters 1st-time offender program

NORRISTOWN, Pa. — Bobby Rydell, the 1960s teen pop idol, has resolved a Pennsylvania drunken-driving charge by entering a program for nonviolent first-time offenders.

Under the terms of the program, the 67-year-old Rydell will be on probation for a year and lose his license for two months. In a year, Rydell can apply to have the drunken-driving charge expunged.

Police say Rydell’s 1969 Bentley jumped a curb and struck a wall in the Philadelphia suburb of Narberth in August. No injuries were reported. Prosecutors say Rydell’s blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit at the time of the crash.

Rydell had hits including “Wild One” and “Volare” and appeared in the 1963 movie “Bye Bye Birdie.”