Singer Alvin Stardust dies, aged 72

Popular singer Alvin Stardust has died at the age of 72.

Stardust – originally known as Bernard William Jewry – found fame in 1973 when his debut single My Coo Ca Choo reached Number Two on the UK charts.

Over the next decade he notched up another six Top Ten hits, including I Feel Like Buddy Holly, Pretend and the Number One smash Jealous Mind.

More recently, Stardust tried his hand at acting, taking on roles in TV series including Doctors and Hollyoaks, in which he played pub landlord Greg Andersen for eight months in 1995.

He also appeared in stage productions of The Phantom of the Opera and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Stardust was about to make a return to music – with his first album in almost 30 years set for release next month (November).

Stardust’s manager, Andy Davies, paid tribute to the entertainer in a press statement, saying: “Alvin and I had only started working together over the last couple of years because he and I believed that, musically, he still had a great deal to give and explore, and so we recorded an album that is a testament to an artist who gave his career to music.

“I may not have known him long but even in that short time he proved to be one of the most genuine and likeable men I’ve ever met. His passing is a huge and sad loss,” Davies added.

Alvin Stardust passed away following a short illness at his home in West Sussex. He is survived by his wife and four children.