Robert Hazard, 59, the Philadelphia-bred rock troubadour who wrote the pop anthem “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” died unexpectedly Tuesday night after surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Robert Hazard and the Heroes, born out of the late-1970s punk movement, were a fixture on the local Philly bar scene through the mid-1980s.
One night in a motel in Delaware, Mr. Hazard sat in a bathtub and in 15 minutes wrote “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” a sprightly pop tune covered in 1983 by Cyndi Lauper. Labeled a feminist anthem, it shot to No. 1. Miley Cyrus’ remake is included on her new album, Breakout.