Lynsey De Paul Dies After Severe Headaches

Singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul has died of a suspected brain haemorrhage aged 64 after complaining of severe headaches.

The star had a number of top 20 hits and represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977.

De Paul died in a London hospital on Wednesday, her agent confirmed.

Her biggest hit Sugar Me got to number five in the singles chart in 1972 just a year after she launched her music career.

In 1977 she teamed up with Mike Moran as the UK entry for Eurovision, held at Wembley Conference Centre, and the pair were runners up with the song Rock Bottom. The contest was won by France that year.

She became the first woman to win an Ivor Novello award after writing the top 20 hit Won't Somebody Dance With Me.

Known for her sharp sense of humour, de Paul was labelled "Looney de Small" by Spike Milligan and was a patron of the Spike Milligan Statue Memorial Fund.

In recent years she appeared in celebrity editions of TV shows such as Come Dine With Me and Cash In The Attic, and she also acted in the 2007 Stephen Fry drama Kingdom.

Her friend, broadcaster and campaigner Esther Rantzen, paid tribute, saying: "She was a renaissance woman. She could do everything - she could sing, she could compose, she was an immensely talented artist.

"She became a huge star but she was also a loyal and generous friend. It's an absolutely tragic loss."

De Paul wrote the theme to Rantzen's series Hearts Of Gold, among the many shows to which she contributed.

She also wrote songs for children and in 1983 appeared at the Conservative Party conference where she performed a song she had written especially for the event.

De Paul returned to the public spotlight in a different role in 1992 when she released a self-defence video for women called Taking Control.

She was romantically linked with figures such as Hollywood stars James Coburn and Dudley Moore.

In 2011 she had her own programme on Sky titled Lynsey's Love Songs.

Her agent Michael Joyce said: "Although she was small in stature, she was very big in positive personality. She was always so positive about everything."