Eurovision star and Black Lace singer Colin Gibb has died aged 70 just days after he announced his retirement to fans.
His heartbroken wife Sue Kelly paid a heartfelt tribute to her beloved husband as she shared the news with followers.
She said Colin was ‘so happy and looking forward to his new life’, as they were due to fly to Spain on Thursday and start his retirement together after one last show at Villa Adeje Beach Hotel, in San Eugeneo.
She wrote on Facebook: ‘I love you Colin, spent 22 years living your Agadoo dream, we were due to retire to Spain on Thursday, you were so happy, so looking forward to our new life, now you’re gone. As we used to say, always love you forever.’
Sue also shared Colin wanted his fans and friends to wear ‘s*** shirts’ or the iconic floral pineapple T-shirts from Black Lace’s hit song Agadoo to his funeral – which is yet to have a date announced.
Colin apparently also wanted people to donate to a cat charity rather than buying flowers.
While the former guitarist and lead singer stuck with the band for many decades – from 1976 to 2024 – the novelty pop band had a number of changes to their group over the years and plenty of varying fortunes in the decades since chart success.
Here, looks at how bandmates have fared since Black Lace found fame.
Alan Barton
Though Gibb was a founding member of Black Lace in their professional form, a few band members predated him.
Alan Barton was among the earliest members of a group who went by The Impact, Penny Arcade and Love or Confusion from 1969.
After they adopted their final name in 1975, it took until 1979 for them to release their first single, Mary Ann, for which Barton took on the role of lead singer because of his ‘throatier’ vocals.
Mary Ann won the right to represent the UK at that year’s Eurovision Song Contest – where it finished seventh. It reached number 42 in the UK singles chart.
In 1981, Black Lace split with Barton and Gibb eventually retaining the Black Lace name after a dispute and taking the band to its biggest chart successes – but only after years using alternative titles such as Lace and Buzby.
Three years after becoming a two-piece, Black Lace had their most popular hit with Agadoo, which reached number two in the UK charts and also had success across the globe.
However, Barton left the band in 1986 to join rock outfit Smokie, with whom he recorded six albums as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist.
With Smokie, and comedian Roy Chubby Brown, Barton hit number three with Living Next Door To Alice (Who The F*** Is Alice) in 1994.
Tragically, the group’s tour bus crashed in Cologne the following year and Barton died of the injuries he sustained, aged just 41.
Ian Howarth
Gibb’s predecessor in Black Lace was Ian Howarth, who started the original five-piece with his school friend Terry Dobson. They were joined by Barton, Steve Scholey and Nigel Scott.
The Wakefield native had a brief spell out the band before leaving for good in 1976.
He did, however, form part of the ‘reunion’ band in June 2020 for the 25th anniversary of Barton’s death. With Dobson, Gibb, and Dean Barton, Howarth mixed a remake of the band’s Eurovision 1979 hit.
Despite the strict lockdown rules of the time, the four members recorded their sections individually before Howarth pulled things together – making their contributions from homes in the UK, Gozo and Tenerife.
In his years away from Black Lace, Howarth has built up ‘many years of experience on the pub and club circuit’ as a solo performer – according to his agency.
Terry Dobson
Despite being another founding member, Dobson left Black Lace in 1981 to join Stormer – a rock band who had a contract with Beatles icon Ringo Starr.
Even with that backing, the band only lasted three years from Dobson joining as drummer.
His musical career was in such a fallow period that Dobson got a job at Wakefield Metropolitan District Council as a maintenance joiner.
He became the drummer for semi-professional band Aircrew until 1993, since when he has become the drummer for Wakefield band Mister Twister.
In 1999, Dobson organised a reunion for the band to celebrate 20 years since the band’s Eurovision performance. Barton’s son, Dean, took the place of his father who had since died.
Now age 72, Dobson still plays for Mister Twister to this day.
Steve Scholey
Steve Scholey joined Black Lace as a vocalist at its inception, but was another who left the group in 1981.
He left the remaining members – Gibb and Barton – to settle huge debts incurred by the band when they were on tour.
Eighteen years later, he declined to join his former bandmates for a Eurovision anniversary reunion.
It appears that Scholey made no attempts to revive his musical career in the years since leaving the band.
Dene Michael
Dene Michael only joined Black Lace in 1986 – as Gibb and Barton took steps back from the band. However, he left again in 1991 amid ‘personal and professional issues’.
After agreeing not to use the name Black Lace, Michael formed a new band called Barracuda who disbanded shortly after their formation.
Michael reneged on his agreement with his former colleagues in 2007 by performing under the Black Lace name.
He also spent time performing under the name ‘Mr Agadoo’ – previously used to refer to Gibb – even though he had nothing to do with the famous track.
By 2012, Michael had started releasing solo music, before three years later he starred alongside Gary Lineker singing along to ‘Agadoo’ in a Walker’s Crisps advert.
His solo career landed him in hot water in 2016, when he was jailed for benefit fraud.
He had claimed he was severely disabled to the benefit of £24,000, all the while still performing his Black Lace classics.
Michael reportedly performed Agadoo behind bars for other inmates while serving his term.
After being released, he teamed up with Britain’s Got Talent contestant to form an alternative Black Lace called Black Lace’s Conga Party.
He did find success again as a solo artist in 2022 with his folk album It’s All Been Done Before. However, the following year he was fired by his management company over professional differences.
Rob Hopcraft
Rob Hopcraft replaced Michael in Black Lace in 1991 as another vocalist.
This caused tension the following year when Hopcraft was unhappy that a hits album was released in with Michael’s face on the front rather than his own.
Shortly after Black Lace became the first band to play the Millennium Dome at the turn of the century, Hopcraft left the band.
He died in 2020 – thought to be the result of a fall.
Phil Temple and Craig Harper
Phil Temple and Craig Harper joined Michael in Black Lace Conga Party in 2023, but never played with Gibb.
Craig previously appeared as a contestant on Britain’s Got Talent in 2008.
He told followers on his Facebook page last November how the band would go on despite Dene Michael’s decision to step back.
He wrote: ‘Dene Michael has retired from Black Lace due to slowing down at the ripe old age of 67. The travelling and sheer volume of high energy gigs we do has finally taken its toll on me pal.
This is by far not the end of Black Lace. Rest assured we will be appearing at festivals and other gigs near you in 2024. The show must go on and we are ready to push them pineapples.’