Surrey Eurovision icon Martin Lee from Brotherhood of Man dies age 77
Singer Martin Lee, part of the group Brotherhood of Man,from Surrey, has died at the age of 77, the band has announced. The band won the Eurovision Song Contest for the UK in 1976,
The 1976 song went on to sell more than five million copies and it was number one in 33 countries, including the UK, where it held the top spot for six weeks.
Lee was born Martin Barnes in Purley, Surrey, but spent five years of his youth in Australia.
He was in aa relationship with his bandmate Sandra Stevens. Soon after she joined the Brotherhood of Man in late 1973, Sandra Stevens began a relationship with Martin, and they were living together by the time of their Eurovision win in 1976. Martin married Sandra in August 1979. They live in Surrey.
The band announced the news of Lee’s death in a post shared on Facebook, which read: ‘It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our great friend and colleague Brotherhood of Man’s Martin Lee who slipped peacefully away on the evening of Sunday 29th September 2024 from heart failure after a short illness. Martin was 77.
"Martin sang lead vocals on the 1976 Eurovision Winner “Save your kisses for me” which was number 1 in 31 countries and the guinness book biggest selling eurovision single of all time plus the biggest winner by percentage of vote."