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Tony Wilson, who was best known as one of the founding members of the British soul band Hot Chocolate, has died aged 89.
Wilson’s family confirmed that the songwriter and bassist died on Friday (24 April) at his home in Trinidad.
“He left a lot of music behind…forever and ever,” Wilson’s daughter wrote on Facebook. “I am thankful that on Friday 17th, during our conscious talk time, he was led to the Lord with understanding. Some mornings later he asked for prayers. He said that he was leaving.”
The statement continued: “The peace that I have is knowing that his soul escaped. He is in and at peace.”
No cause of death was confirmed.
Wilson’s son Danny also shared a tribute on Facebook, writing: “Words don’t do justice to the admiration I have for him as a human being or for his dedication to make his dream of getting the songs he wrote be heard.”
“It wasn’t until my mum dug out some old diaries of his from 1970 and ’71 that I realised just how hard he had to work to achieve this dream.”
Born in Trinidad, Wilson started his career in bands like The Flames, The Souvenirs and The Corduroys, before meeting Errol Brown in the late 60s. They formed Hot Chocolate in 1968.
Hot Chocolate are best known for global hits including ‘Every 1’s A Winner’, ‘Brother Louie’, ‘You Could Have Been A Lady’, ‘Emma’, and perhaps most famously ‘You Sexy Thing’ – a track which experienced renewed success in the charts after the release of the 1997 film The Full Monty. The band was the first predominantly black British group to achieve major chart success in the US.
Wilson departed Hot Chocolate in 1975, releasing two solo albums, ‘I Like Your Style’ and ‘Catch One’.
Brown died in 2015, aged 71.