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Tributes have been paid to the singer Alvin Stardust

Tributes have been paid to the singer Alvin Stardust

TRIBUTES have been paid to the singer Alvin Stardust who has passed away at the age of 72.

The singer had a string of hits in the 70s and 80s, including My Coo Ca Choo (see below) and Jealous Mind (see below).

Born Bernard Jewry in East London, the singer signed his first record deal in the early 60s when he was the frontman for Shane Fenton and The Fentones. However, success eluded the group and it wasn’t until the beginning of the 70s that Mr. Jewry embraced Glam Rock and found a stage name more fitting to the genre. The first version of the name was Elvin Starr but this quickly evolved into Alvin Stardust.

With his big sideburns, quiff and glowering persona, Stardust soon became a highly recognisable figure on the music scene. His popularity took him beyond music —  in the mid-70s he fronted a Green Cross Code road safety campaign.

During the 80s he enjoyed chart success with a number of songs including Pretend and I Feel Like Buddy Holly. As a young man he had met Holly and his band backstage at a concert in Doncaster and had even jammed with the star.

As the Glam Rock era faded, Stardust moved into musical theatre. In recent years he had appeared in productions of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Godspell and The Phantom of the Opera.

His standing in the British music scene was summed up by Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones who once described Stardust as “the Godfather of British Rock ‘n’ Roll”.

Stardust had recently finished recording an album — his first in 30 years. The album, entitled Alvin, was planned for release next month.

The singer, who had been married three times, had only recently revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Among the many tributes was one from his second wife, the actress Liza Goddard. She tweeted: “RIP Alvin Stardust. Thank you for our beautiful daughter and granddaughter”.

See footage of Alvin Stardust performing My Coo Ca Choo.

See footage of Alvin Stardust performing Jealous Mind.

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