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Ricky Valance: First Welshman to have solo UK Number One dies | |
(32 minutes later) | |
Welsh singer Ricky Valance has died at the age of 84, his agent has confirmed. | Welsh singer Ricky Valance has died at the age of 84, his agent has confirmed. |
Valance, who was born David Spencer, became the first Welshman to have a solo UK Number One hit with the song Tell Laura I Love Her in 1960. | Valance, who was born David Spencer, became the first Welshman to have a solo UK Number One hit with the song Tell Laura I Love Her in 1960. |
The singer was born in Ynysddu, now in Caerphilly county, and joined the RAF aged 17 before going into the music business. | The singer was born in Ynysddu, now in Caerphilly county, and joined the RAF aged 17 before going into the music business. |
His agent said he had been in ill health for several months before his death. | His agent said he had been in ill health for several months before his death. |
Valance was lead soprano in his local church choir as a child, before joining the air force, where he saw active service in north Africa before returning three years later. | |
It was then he started performing in clubs in the north of England, before being signed and recording Tell Laura I Love Her. | |
The song tells the tragic story of a boy called Tommy and his love for a girl called Laura. | |
It was controversial at the time and reportedly banned from airplay by the BBC, but went on to be a number one single, selling more than a million copies. | |
It spend 16 weeks in the chart, three of those at number one, but only two future singles reached the UK top 50. | |
In 2015, he was given an award at a St David's Day concert at the Wales Millennium Centre for being the first Welshman to have a UK Number One hit. | |
In 2017, he released a final single, called Welcome Home, to raise money for the Royal Air Force Museum and RAF Association. |