Steve Harley, the 1970s British rock star who topped U.K. music charts with the single “Make Me Smile,” passed away on Sunday at the age of 73.
He died at his home, his family announced on Facebook. Although no cause was provided, Mr. Harley had disclosed last month that he would be taking a break from performing to undergo cancer treatment and had previously canceled several concerts scheduled for this year.
Mr. Harley was the lead singer of the band Cockney Rebel, which he founded in the early 1970s.
His most successful song was the 1975 hit “Make Me Smile,” where Mr. Harley’s smooth vocals and melancholic lyrics floated over instrumentals that embodied the upbeat sound characteristic of that era. The song reached the top of the British charts in February of that year.
Other songs by Mr. Harley also achieved popularity outside of the U.K.
“Sebastian,” a track from the band’s debut album in 1973, “The Human Menagerie,” became a No. 1 hit in Belgium and the Netherlands, as stated on Mr. Harley’s website.
In 1986, Mr. Harley collaborated with singer Sarah Brightman on the original recording of “Phantom of the Opera” for the musical of the same title by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Steve Harley, born on Feb. 27, 1951, in London, was the second of five siblings, according to his online biography. His mother, a jazz and swing singer from the 1940s, was one of his earliest musical influences.
As a child, Mr. Harley’s mother would sing along to tunes by Buddy Holly and other 1950s pop artists on the radio, as he mentioned in an interview.
A complete list of survivors was not immediately provided.
Mr. Harley faced illness and surgeries during his childhood, leading him in and out of the hospital. At the age of 12, while recuperating from surgery, he discovered a love for the works of D.H. Lawrence, Ernest Hemingway, and Bob Dylan’s music, according to his online biography.
These artists inspired a young Mr. Harley to realize that his life would revolve around words and music, as stated on his website.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mr. Harley shifted his focus to a career in journalism, working for various daily newspapers in the U.K.
Simultaneously, his singing career took off in London nightclubs where he performed for free and connected with his future Cockney Rebel bandmates, leading to the band’s first record deal in 1972.
A prolific performer, Mr. Harley continued to grace the stage well into his later years, with his most recent performance as recent as 2023.
