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Errol Brown, lead singer of Hot Chocolate, dies

Brown's band had such hits as 'You Sexy Thing,' 'Every 1's a Winner,' and 'Emma.' Brown was made MBE (Member of the British Empire) in 2003 for his services to popular music.

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Sean Dempsey/PA
Errol Brown, frontman of the band Hot Chocolate, performs in 1999.
  • By Marie-Louise Gumuchian Reuters
  • Rollo Ross Reuters

Hot Chocolate lead singer Errol Brown has died at the age of 71, his manager said.

Hot Chocolate was known for hits such as "Emma," "Every 1's a Winner," and "You Sexy Thing."

The singer passed away at his home in The Bahamas, with his wife Ginette and daughters Colette and Leonie by his side, manager Phil Dale said, describing him as a "gentle man."

"Errol was a lover of life and obviously 'music!' I never went into his home, car or a hotel room without music playing," Dale said in a statement. "And it always played constantly in his dressing room before a concert."

“Everybody uses the word gentleman but he really was a gentleman,” Dale also said. “He was a very personal friend of mine and he will be missed. I haven’t been anywhere in the world where I haven’t heard his music.”

According to the Telegraph, singer Beverley Knight said of Brown’s death, “I am so gutted. Errol Brown was such a charismatic performer.”

Brown grew up in Jamaica and then attended a private school in Britain, according to The Independent.

“I was with boys who wanted to be doctors, lawyers,” he said of his time at the school. “Where I was before, they wanted to be postmen, bus drivers. Your ambitions changed.”

Brown was made MBE (Member of the British Empire) by Britain's Queen Elizabeth in 2003 for his services to popular music. A year later, he received an Ivor Novello award for outstanding contribution to British music.

"You Sexy Thing" was first released in the 1970s and featured in the 1997 British film "The Full Monty." According to the Telegraph, the song appeared in the top 10 three times and the band’s hit “So You Win Again” was the only track by the group to be a number one hit in the UK.

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