Musician Steve Harley, best known as the frontman for 70s band Cockney Rebel and for the hit song ‘Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)’, has passed away at the age of 73. His family released a statement confirming the news, saying that Harley had passed away peacefully at home with loved ones by his side. The musician had been receiving treatment for cancer and had cancelled several shows in late 2023 to focus on his health and fight the disease.
Harley was born Stephen Nice and grew up in London, where he began busking and performing in the city’s folk scene in the early 1970s. He formed the band Cockney Rebel in 1972 and quickly gained success with singles including ‘Judy Teen’ and ‘Mr. Soft’. However, tensions within the band led to members wanting to write more of their own material, causing the group to disband.
Harley later reformed the band with a new line-up, renamed to Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. Together with the band, he released the hit single ‘Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)’, which topped the charts in the UK and charted on Billboard’s Hot 100 in the US. The song, which has been recognized as one of the most played songs in British broadcasting history, remains Harley’s most famous work.
In addition to his work with Cockney Rebel, Harley also had a successful solo career, releasing six albums under his own name including 2020’s ‘Uncovered’. Tributes to the musician have been pouring in on social media from fans and fellow musicians alike. Harley is survived by his wife Dorothy, with whom he had two children and four grandchildren
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