Steve Harley, the 1970s British rock star who topped U.K. music charts with the single “Make Me Smile,” passed away on Sunday. He was 73.
He passed away at his home, as confirmed by his family on Facebook. Although no cause was mentioned, Mr. Harley had revealed last month that he would be taking a break from performing to undergo cancer treatment, leading to the cancellation of several scheduled concerts for this year.
Mr. Harley was the lead singer of the band Cockney Rebel, formed in the early 1970s.
His biggest hit was the 1975 single “Make Me Smile,” which showcased Mr. Harley’s soothing vocals and poignant lyrics set against the upbeat instrumentals typical of the era. The song reached the top of the British charts in February of that year.
His success extended beyond Britain.
“Sebastian,” a track from the band’s debut 1973 album, “The Human Menagerie,” became a No. 1 hit in Belgium and the Netherlands, according to Mr. Harley’s website.
In 1986, Mr. Harley collaborated with singer Sarah Brightman to record the original version of “Phantom of the Opera” for the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber bearing the same name.
Steve Harley, born on Feb. 27, 1951, in London, was the second of five children, according to his online biography. His mother, a jazz and swing singer in the 1940s, introduced him to music at an early age.
“She would sing around the house when we were kids,” he mentioned in a 2022 interview for the Tim Quinn YouTube channel, likening his mother’s voice to that of British vocalist Anne Shelton.
As a child, his mother often sang along to the music of Buddy Holly and other pop artists from the 1950s that played on the radio, as he recounted in the interview.
A complete list of survivors is not immediately available.
During his childhood, illness and surgeries frequently landed Mr. Harley in the hospital. At the age of 12, while recuperating from surgery, he discovered a passion for the works of D.H. Lawrence, Ernest Hemingway, and other authors, and developed a fondness for Bob Dylan’s music, according to his online biography.
These artists inspired a young Mr. Harley to anticipate that his life would likely revolve around “words and music,” as stated on his website.
Indeed, his life became centered on words during the late 1960s and early 1970s as he pursued a career in journalism, working with various daily newspapers in the U.K.
Simultaneously, his music career took shape in London nightclubs where he would perform for free, eventually meeting his future Cockney Rebel bandmates and securing the band’s first record deal in 1972.
A prolific performer, Mr. Harley continued to grace the stage in his later years, with his most recent performance as recent as 2023.