Current:Home > MySteve Harley, Cockney Rebel singer behind hit song 'Make Me Smile,' dies at 73 -FinanceMind
Steve Harley, Cockney Rebel singer behind hit song 'Make Me Smile,' dies at 73
View
Date:2025-04-28 01:34:32
LONDON − Steve Harley, a British musician whose glam-rock band Cockney Rebel had an enduring hit with the song "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)," has died. He was 73.
Harley's family said Sunday that he had "passed away peacefully at home, with his family by his side." Harley said late last year he was being treated for "a nasty cancer."
Born in London in 1951, Harley spent almost four years of his childhood hospitalized after contracting polio, periods during which he began reading and writing poetry. He worked as a trainee accountant and as journalist on local newspapers, and began his performing career at London folk clubs.
He formed Cockney Rebel, which released a debut album, “The Human Menagerie,” in 1973 before foundering over creative differences. With a new lineup and rebranded as Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, the band released the 1975 album “The Best Years of Our Lives,” which contained Harley's biggest hit.
With its barbed lyrics – aimed at Harley's former bandmates – and infectiously catchy chorus, the Alan Parsons-produced "Make Me Smile" topped the U.K. singles chart. It went on to be covered scores of times and was used on countless soundtracks, including in the 1997 film "The Full Monty" and in ads for Carlsberg beer, department store Marks and Spencer and Viagra.
Harley also sang the title song of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "The Phantom of the Opera" alongside Sarah Brightman when it was released as a single in 1986. He was originally cast in the title role for the stage musical, but was replaced by Michael Crawford.
Ultravox frontman Midge Ure, who produced Harley's 1982 track "I Can't Even Touch You," called him a "true 'working musician.'"
"He toured until he could tour no more, playing his songs for fans old and new," Ure wrote on social media. "My thoughts go out to Dorothy and his family at this very sad time. Our songs live on longer than we ever can."
Harley is survived by his wife Dorothy, children Kerr and Greta and four grandchildren. The family said in a statement that they knew he would be "desperately missed by people all over the world."
veryGood! (13251)
Related
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Nearly 1 in 5 Americans Live in Communities With Harmful Air Quality, Study Shows
- Alix Earle Recommended This $8 Dermaplaning Tool and I Had To Try It: Here’s What Happened
- Log and Burn, or Leave Alone? Indiana Residents Fight US Forest Service Over the Future of Hoosier National Forest
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Are Legally Acceptable Levels of Pollution Harming Children’s Brain Development?
- Water, Water Everywhere, Yet Local U.S. Planners Are Lowballing Their Estimates
- An Ohio College Town Wants to Lead on Fighting Climate Change. It Also Has a 1940s-Era, Diesel-Burning Power Plant
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Harry Styles’ 7 New Wax Figures Will Have You Doing a Double Take
Ranking
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- From the Frontlines of the Climate Movement, A Message of Hope
- Who Said Recycling Was Green? It Makes Microplastics By the Ton
- Kim Kardashian Reacts After TikToker Claims SKIMS Shapewear Saved Her Life
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Biden’s Top Climate Adviser Signals Support for Permitting Deal with Fossil Fuel Advocates
- Kim Kardashian Reacts After TikToker Claims SKIMS Shapewear Saved Her Life
- Bebe Rexha Shares Alleged Text From Boyfriend Keyan Safyari Commenting on Her Weight
Recommendation
'Most Whopper
Climate-Smart Cowboys Hope Regenerative Cattle Ranching Can Heal the Land and Sequester Carbon
How Wildfire Smoke from Australia Affected Climate Events Around the World
Bachelor Nation's Shawn Booth Expecting First Baby
South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
Climate-Smart Cowboys Hope Regenerative Cattle Ranching Can Heal the Land and Sequester Carbon
On Chicago’s South Side, Naomi Davis Planted the Seeds of Green Solutions to Help Black Communities
Meet the Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner: All the Details on the 71-Year-Old's Search for Love