1960s teen idol Bobby Sherman, who was beloved for his hit single Little Woman, has been diagnosed with stage four cancer.

Sherman, now 81, largely withdrew from the entertainment industry in the 1970s, but has retained a devoted fanbase through the years.

His wife Brigitte Poublon announced his diagnosis on her Facebook page with a heartbreaking message to ‘all of Bobby Sherman’s cherished fans.’

She wrote: ‘As many of you know, Bobby has been retired for some time and is no longer able to participate in cameos, sign autographs, or make appearances.’

Poublon then shared: ‘It is with a heavy heart that we share Bobby has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. During this challenging time, we kindly ask for your understanding and respect for our privacy.’

In conclusion Poublon, who married Sherman in Las Vegas in 2010, wrote: ‘Thank you so much for still remembering him. We really appreciate it.’

1960s teen idol Bobby Sherman, who was beloved for his hit single Little Woman, has been diagnosed with stage four cancer; pictured 1971

Born in Santa Monica, Sherman was a football star in high school, before embarking on a glittering life in Hollywood as a singer and actor.

His career was launched after he was asked to sing at a party in the 1960s attended by the likes of Jane Fonda, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo – Sherman’s mentor.

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Through that soiree, he made the connections to land a spot as a house singer on the variety show Shindig! in 1964, per the New York Times.

He became a bona fide star in 1968 on the western TV show Here Come The Brides, which centered on lonely lumberjacks in Seattle after the Civil War.

Sherman played the stammering, lovable Jeremy Bolt, one of the three brothers trying to recruit women to come to Seattle and stay for a year to keep the men company.

In 1969, Sherman achieved his greatest success as a singer with the bubblegum pop single Little Woman, in which he pleads with his lover to ‘make up your mind’ and to ‘come into my world and leave your world behind.’ 

He continued putting out hit singles, including La La La (If I Had You) in 1969, as well as Julie, Do Ya Love Me and Easy Come, Easy Go in 1970. 

Here Come The Brides ended in 1970, by which point Sherman had reportedly been sent more fan mail than any other on-air talent on ABC-TV.

His wife Brigitte Poublon announced his diagnosis on her Facebook page with a heartbreaking message to to all of Bobby Sherman’s cherished fans’; the couple are pictured in 2015 

His career was launched after he was asked to sing at a party in the 1960s attended by the likes of Jane Fonda, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo; pictured 1970

He became a bona fide star in 1968 on the western TV show Here Come The Brides, which was about lonely lumberjacks in Seattle after the Civil War; pictured on the series

Sherman played the stammering, lovable Jeremy Bolt, one of the three brothers trying to recruit women to come to Seattle and keep the men company; pictured on the series

Here Come The Brides ended in 1970, by which point Sherman had reportedly gotten more fan mail than any other on-air talent on ABC-TV; pictured on the show

Sherman kept appearing on television, including on two of the best-remembered shows of the era, The Monkees and The Partridge Family.

However, by the mid-1970s, he largely receded from the spotlight, returning for sporadic concert appearances, mainly corporate or for charity, and guest-starring on programs like Murder, She Wrote.

In his later life he dedicated himself to the emergency services, becoming a paramedic and providing first aid training within the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as at the Los Angeles Police Department Academy.

He also gave emergency and CPR training to new deputy hires at the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, where he held a position as a reserve deputy sheriff. 

Sherman was the Reserve Officer Of The Year at the LAPD in 1999, and five years later he was honored in a speech on the floor of the U.S. House Of Representatives.

Congressman Buck McKeon, Republican of California, said on the floor in 2004: ‘Bobby is a stellar example of the statement “to protect and serve.”‘

During his time as a paramedic, he still enjoyed a loyal fanbase – to the point that occasionally his two careers overlapped.

‘On one call in Northridge we were working on a hemorrhaging woman who had pᴀssed out,’ Sherman told the Los Angeles Times in 1993. ‘Her husband kept staring at me. Finally he said: “Look, honey, it’s Bobby Sherman!”‘

In his later life, he dedicated himself to the emergency services, including as a San Bernardino County deputy sheriff, providing CPR and emergency training to new hires; pictured 2003

Amid his years of public service, Sherman treated his fans to a return to the limelight by appearing in the 1998 nostalgia-themed Teen Idols In Concert tour (pictured)

At that point the woman snapped back to consciousness and ‘said: “Oh great, I must look a mess!” I told her not to worry, she looked fine,’ Sherman recalled, adding that he gave her an autograph before she was hauled off into the ambulance.

Amid his years of public service, Sherman treated his fans to a return to the limelight by appearing in the 1998 nostalgia-themed Teen Idols In Concert tour, alongside Davy Jones of The Monkees and Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits.

In his personal life, Sherman welcomed two sons called Tyler and Christopher in the 1970s with his first wife Patti Carnel – who, after their divorce, married David Soul, Sherman’s onscreen brother on Here Come The Brides.

Since 2010 Sherman has been married to Brigitte Poublon, with whom he founded the Brigitte & Bobby Sherman Children’s (BBSC) Foundation, aimed at education and musical training for students in Ghana.