Errol Brown, the lead singer of British soul band Hot Chocolate has passed away aged 71. The news comes via his manager Phil Dale, who revealed that Errol died in the Bahamas and had been suffering from liver cancer.
Errol was "a wonderful gentleman" said Phil. He added: "There was always music around wherever he was. I’ve been with him in the middle of Australia and he has got an idea for a song and started writing."
Errol was awarded an MBE in 2003 during the Queen's birthday honours list, and in 2004 he received the Ivor Novello Award for his contribution to British music.
Hot Chocolate had fans in high places, and they performed at a pre-wedding party for Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana before they married in 1981.
Their biggest hit to date remains You Sexy Thing, which Errol wrote. It hit the top ten for three decades straight, and the song and the band found fame again in 1997 when it was used in the hit British film The Full Monty.
Other hit tracks include It Started With A Kiss and So You Win Again, which was the band's only number one in 1977.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Errol moved to the UK when he was 12. The band Hot Chocolate formed around the Brixton area of London in 1969, and first found fame with a cover of John Lennon's Give Peace A Chance, which was released on the Beatles' Apple label, when former Beatle John admitted he loved their version.
The band became famous in the mid-1970s though with the rise of disco, but went on to have at least one hit single every year between 1970 and 1984.
In 1985, Eroll left the band to spend more time with his family, but he made a comeback in 1990 and 1993 with solo tours of the UK.
He is survived by his wife and two daughters.