Dead Or Alive frontman 'a beautiful talented soul'

LOS ANGELES • British singer Peter Burns, best known as the frontman of 1980s band Dead Or Alive, died from a massive cardiac arrest, his family said on Monday. He was 57.

Known for his androgynous image, he rose to fame with the band's 1985 hit, You Spin Me Round (Like A Record), and became part of the British punk, electro and dance-pop scene.

"He was a true visionary, a beautiful talented soul and he will be missed by all who loved and appreciated everything he was," his manager, Mr Steve Coy, and his family said in a joint statement. It was posted on the late singer's Twitter account. The statement did not say where he died.

Dead Or Alive, founded in Liverpool in 1980, scored a hit album with 1985's Youthquake and songs including Lover Come Back To Me and Brand New Lover.

Peter Burns.

While the band never formally disbanded, numerous members came and went and the last studio album, Fragile, was released in 2000.

Burns, who publicly acknowledged several cosmetic surgery procedures over the years, was more recently known for his participation on the British reality television show, Celebrity Big Brother, in 2006.

A documentary that year followed his attempt to revive his career. You Spin Me Round was re-released in 2006 to coincide with his Big Brother stint and, more recently, has been covered by rapper Flo Rida and singer Kesha in 2011's Right Round, which topped the American Billboard Hot 100 chart.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 26, 2016, with the headline Dead Or Alive frontman 'a beautiful talented soul'. Subscribe