Colin Gibb Dead at 70 Years Old

(RepublicanDaily.org) – Singer Colin Gibb, the frontman for the British pop band Black Lace, has died. He was 70 years old.

Gibb, who along with the Black Lace represented the U.K. in the 1979 Eurovision singing competition, passed away just days after his retirement. Sue Kelly, Gibbs’ spouse, confirmed the singer’s death in an announcement on June 2.

In a Facebook post shared to Gibb’s fans and followers, Kelly relayed the heartbreaking news. “I am letting you all know my dearest husband Colin Gibb died this afternoon,” she wrote Kelly added that they were preparing to move to Spain for their retirement when Gibb passed away unexpectedly.

It was 1976 when Gibb joined Black Lace, replacing Ian Howarth. He shared frontman duties with fellow singer Dene Michael, with the group launching their debut single, Mary Ann, in 1979. The song was also served as the band’s Eurovision entry that same year, garnering the band a 7^th place finish in the competition. The song performed less well in the U.K., missing out an inclusion in the U.K. Top 40 hits.

It was Gibb and Alan Barton who kept Black Lace alive after the band’s split in 1981. A few years later, in 1984, the band came out with what would arguably its most known hit – “Agadoo.” The song was a massive success in the U.K. and Europe, climbing as high as the top 2 spot in the U.K. Top 40, staying in the country’s music charts for 35 weeks. The group returned to the U.K. Top 40 with “Do The Conga” in 1989. While Agadoo became a novelty mainstay in the playlists for wedding parties and school discos, it was also chosen as the “worst song ever in pop history” in 2003.

Prior to his retirement, Gibb had made the rounds since 2002 playing for tourists and revelers that frequented Spain’s resort destinations of Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos. Last May 13, Gibbs announced that he would be retiring, saying in a statement that “All good things must come to an end.”