Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
The Entertainer
All-round showbiz legend Kenny Lynch dies aged 81
Over an incredible career spanning 60 years, Kenny Lynch was one of the defining stars of British entertainment. As a singer, songwriter, actor and variety star, he was the heart and soul of showbiz – still reluctant to leave the stage even months before his death early yesterday at the age of 81.
A rare black face on the 1970s and 80s showbiz scene dominated by the likes of Jimmy Tarbuck and Bruce Forsyth, the talented all-rounder held a special place in the nation’s hearts.
His family said yesterday: “He will be remembered and missed by many.”
Singer Boy George said “God Bless Kenny Lynch. Absolutely huge part of my ’70s life and on.”
Radio presenter Danny Baker called him a “huge talent, a pioneer and tremendous company”. He added: “One of the key witnesses to the 20th UK music/entertainment scene, he had a million stories. He wasn’t interested in his ‘place’ in pop culture. He was there.”
Kenny was born in Stepney, East London, in 1938 – a year before the start of the Second World War. His father was from Barbados and his mother was Irish, but Kenny once said: “We never had racial problems with people in Cornwall Street, because basically we were probably a novelty.
“People would probably say ‘We’ve got some black people living next door to us; you should come around and see them – they’re almost the same as us’.”
He recently told how the war affected him, saying: “The war started about 18 months after I was born... it was bombs dropping all the time, it was fun.
“We used to say ‘Look, there’s another house on fire’. But, obviously, during the war everybody’s very close together and all that. It’s only the day after the war stops that they all start fighting again, like they do now.”
Speaking about his family, he said: “My father was here because he was in the Merchant Navy. My dad came over from Barbados in the late 1890s.
“He is a very nice man, he made me what I was, he was very gentle, and I loved him. And my mum’s from an Irish background and all that.
“My family was 11 kids but, I mean I never met half of them, I mean I was the last one of them. And in fact now I’m the only one left out of all of them because they’re all brown bread now.”
Kenny quit school at 15 and did his National Service in the Royal Army Service Corps.
After showing an early interest in boxing he turned to music – first jazz and then pop – and performed in a number of variety shows in the 1960s.
He had his first Top 10 hit with Up On The Roof in 1962, followed the next year by You Can Never Stop Loving Me.
In 1963 he appeared alongside The Beatles on their first British tour, when