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Musician Steve Harley has died of cancer aged 73.
The singer, who perfomed as part of Cockney Rebel, was touring up until January 2024, but was forced to cancel dates after being diagnosed with cancer.
His most well-known song was “Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)”, which he wrote and released in 1975.
In a social media post on 13 February, the musician’s team had shared that Harley had hoped he would be better next year as they wrote: “Due to on-going treatment for cancer, Steve cannot commit to any concerts in 2024.
“Steve is hoping next year will be altogether different. He appreciates all your kind words and good wishes. Team SH.”
Cockney Rebel gained success in the early 1970s for their glam rock music embracing their London roots. The original band was made up of Harley, Jean-Paul Crocker, drummer Stuart Elliott, bassist Paul Jeffreys and guitarist Nick Jones.
The musician enjoyed a brief stint as a solo artist before the band regrouped in April 1990 after the success of Harley’s 1989 tour.
From 1999 to 2008, Harley presented the BBC 2 radio show, Sounds of the 70s. Tony Blackburn has since hosted the show since 2017.
Fans shared their condolences on social media as they called him: “[A] brilliant musician and great story teller” and a “fab live performer.”
“Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)” was confirmed as one of the most played songs in British broadcasting by The Performing Rights Society, and over 120 covers of the track have been recorded by other artists.
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The seventies icon was known for his larger-than-life personality and said in an interview with The Independent, “I never meant to be arrogant; just honest.”
He shared his previous experiences with ill-health revealing that he had suffered from polio when he was just two-years-old and that his lengthy stays in hospital had inspired his love for writing.
He spent three-and-a-half years in hospital between the ages of three and 16, including two spells of almost a year.
“I am solitary as a result,” he said of the experience.
Having shied from discussing his illness during his heyday, he belatedly addressed it in his song, “The Last Feast”.
“It’s a primal scream. I remember pain beyond description after the surgery and I knew I was at the very brink of human tolerance and all the morphine in the world would not ease it. For a long time my life was in a bedside cabinet and it was a notebook and pen, all words, words, words.”
Harley lived in North Essex with his wife, Dorothy, whom he married in February 1981. They have two children, Kerr and Greta.
More to follow