MARSDEN’S LAST WALK IS ALONE

LONDON: Gerry Marsden, frontman of 1960s group Gerry and the Pacemakers, has died aged 78.

Liverpool- born Marsden, who died after a short illness, had a 1960s hit with his cover of the Rodgers and Hammerstein song You’ll Never Walk Alone, which originally featured in their musical Carousel.

Liverpool FC fans adopted the Gerry and the Pacemakers’ version of the song, which became one of the most famous football anthems in the world.

Marsden re- recorded the track in April 2020 in tribute to Britain’s National Health Service during the coronavirus pandemic.

He also wrote the 1960s hit Ferry Cross the Mersey at a time when The Beatles had made Liverpool pop music’s most important city. It was Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein who signed Gerry and the Pacemakers.

As part of the “Merseybeat” groups, Gerry and the Pacemakers also broke into the US market.

Ex- Beatle Paul

McCartney tweeted: “Gerry was a mate from our early days in Liverpool. He and his group were our biggest rivals on the local scene.

“His unforgettable performances of You’ll Never Walk Alone and Ferry Cross the Mersey remain in many people’s hearts.”

Liverpool football club, on their Twitter account, said: “It is with such great sadness that we hear of Gerry Marsden’s passing.

“Gerry’s words will live on forever with us. You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Marsden’s friend and broadcaster Pete Price announced the death when he wrote on Instagram: “It’s with a very heavy heart after speaking to the family that I have to tell you the legendary Gerry Marsden MBE, after a short illness, which was an infection in his heart, has sadly passed away.”

Marsden received his MBE at Buckingham Palace in 2003 for services to charities in Liverpool and beyond.