Errol Brown.

Singer.

Born: November 12, 1948;

Died: May 6, 2015.

Errol Brown, who has died of liver cancer aged 71, was a singer and the frontman of Hot Chocolate, a soul band that was popular in the 1970s and 80s and had hits with You Sexy Thing and It Started With A Kiss.

He scored his first success with Hot Chocolate in 1970 with the top 10 track Love Is Life and went on to have more than 20 top 40 hits.

You Sexy Thing made it into the top 10 three times in all (helped along in 1997 by its use in The Full Monty, the comedy film about a group of northern strippers) and the band had their only number one with So You Win Again in 1977. It Started With A Kiss also charted three times.

Brown spent the first 12 years of his life in Kingston, Jamaica, where he was born, and got his first break in music in 1969 through The Beatles. Brown had recorded a reggae version of Give Peace a Chance and was given permission by the Beatles record label Apple to record it.

Brown's band was originally called The Hot Chocolate Band before changing the name to just Hot Chocolate and it included Tony Connor, Larry Ferguson, Harvey Hinsley, Patrick Olive and Tony Wilson. Their first single Love is Life was released in 1970 and reached number six in the charts.

By the mid-1970s, disco had turned the band into a big success and by 1977 they had had 15 hits including You Sexy Thing and Everyone's A Winner, all written by Brown. The band was not often well liked by the critics, but their success continued into the 1980s, when they had another big hit with It Started With a Kiss, which reached number five in the UK charts in 1982. In all, the group charted 25 UK Top 40 hit singles. In 1981 Hot Chocolate were also invited by Prince Charles and Lady Diana to perform at their pre-wedding reception at Buckingham Palace.

In 1985 Errol left the band and took time out to spend more time with his wife and then young children, resurfacing in 1990 and 1993 to embark on successful solo tours of the UK. He helped with the promotion of You Sexy Thing when it was featured in The Full Monty in 1997. It led to a resurgence of interest in the band and a greatest hits compilation was released the same year, which reached number 10 in the album charts.

The single also reached number six and Brown appeared on Top of the Pops and the following year It Started With A Kiss was also a hit again, which led to Brown going out on tour.

In The Queen's birthday honours list of 2003 he was awarded an MBE for his services to popular music. In 2004 he also received the Ivor Novello award for outstanding contribution to British music.

In 2008, he came to Scotland for a farewell tour (he was also a big fan of golf and played at Loch Lomond). Speaking during the tour, he said that he thought his music would have longevity.

"I think the longevity of the music is the most pleasing part of what Hot Chocolate did," he said, "it's still being appreciated today and I think it will be long after I've finished.

"When we started, groups were developed by the record companies and signed because they had something different. Acts have very few chances now, I think that's why they don't have that nice longevity we had."

He said 2009 felt like the right time for him to retire. "I just feel it's time now," he said. "I'm losing energy. Now in my life I feel I've done my thing, and I don't want to come out half-heartedly

Brown's manager Phil Dale, said the singer was a wonderful gentleman. He said: "There was always music around wherever he was. I've been with him in the middle of Australia and he has got an idea for a song and started writing."

Among those paying tribute was singer Beverley Knight who said: "I am so gutted. Errol Brown was such a charismatic performer".

Brown, who lived in the Bahamas, is survived by his wife and two daughters.