WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

'80s heartthrob Corey Hart making music, being a dad

Behind the sunglasses

Hart today. Inset: Hart in 1983, during his "Sunglasses at Night" heyday.

(PEOPLE) -- The year was 1983, the song, "Sunglasses at Night." It was impossible to turn on a radio and avoid hearing it. The infectious tune had an unforgettable hook and the man behind the shades, then-21-year-old Corey Hart, had pouty, pensive good looks tailor-made for MTV stardom.

He followed up the success of his smash debut with 1985's "Boy in the Box," propelled by the hit song "Never Surrender." Pop stardom led to lots of offers; Hart was even approached about playing the lead in the 1985 time-traveling action-comedy "Back to the Future," which he turned down. (Michael J. Fox took the role and the rest is history.)

Despite all the hoopla, Hart, now 40, says he never went on a star trip. "Money, celebrity and power can be very intoxicating," he says. "I always tried to remember it was only rock star mythology and that this opium eventually kills."

In fact, the young musician found all the attention "absolutely overwhelming," he says. "There is no schooling for fame and success. You learn as you walk." Instead of basking in the limelight, Hart withdrew. "I became somewhat reclusive during a period of time in the '80s," he says.

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Hart's star began to fade, and his next few albums didn't perform as well as the first two. His latest album, 1998's "Jade," was not released in the United States, but he toured his native Canada in support of it. He also has worked with other artists, including fellow Canadian Celine Dion; he wrote and produced songs on her 1997 album "Let's Talk About Love" and her most recent release, "A New Day Has Come." In 1999, he toured as her opening act in Canada and the United States.

These days, Hart is focusing on producing other artists (including Canadian singer Garou). He also plans to perform with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in the fall and release a live album of the concerts, and he's working on a new album of his own, scheduled for release in 2003.

His toned-down career in music allows Hart more time with his family; he lives in Nassau, Bahamas, with his wife, French-Canadian singer Julie Masse, 32, whom he married in June 2000. Their three daughters, India, 7, Dante, 4, and River, 2 -- he refers to them as "our angels" -- were all present at the wedding, which took place on a hilltop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. "Being a dad has changed everything," he says. "There is nothing more important in my life than being a father. I will never allow any of my career choices or aspirations to threaten this bond."

Jesus Trivino contributed to this report.