Martin Lee, who won Eurovision in 1976 with his band Brotherhood of Man, sadly died last year aged 77 and has left his estate to his wife Sandra Stevens, who also sang in the band
Eurovision champ Martin Lee has left his estate to his wife and bandmate.
The beloved Brotherhood of Man singer died last year aged 77 from heart failure following a short illness, his pop group confirmed on social media. Lee won Eurovision with the band in 1976 with their song Save Your Kisses for Me.
The group shot to fame after their stint in the iconic song competition, with Save Your Kisses for Me becoming a number one in over 30 countries. The track, which sold over a million copies in the UK, became one the bestselling Eurovision single in the contest’s history.
Martin reportedly left an estate valued at £141k to his wife Sandra Stevens, 80, who was also a singer in the group. Martin and Sandra began dating shortly after he she joined the band in 1973 and they had been married for 45 years.
After Martin’s passing in September 2024, band paid tribute to their “great friend” in a statement on Facebook. It 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.”
The group said Lee was “not only a wonderful singer” but also co-wrote most of the group’s hits. They concluded: “He will be sadly missed by his fellow band members Nicky Stevens, Lee Sheriden and especially Sandra Stevens to whom he had been married for 45 happy years.
“Over the past 50 years the four of us have toured the world together in harmony and have so many happy memories but now we are in total shock and cannot imagine a world without Martin Lee. R.I.P.”
Brotherhood of Man won Eurovision with their song Save Your Kisses For Me at the final in the Netherlands – the song topped the table with 164 points, over 70 points ahead of Switzerland who came runners-up. The song went on to sell six million copies around the world and is still the highest selling Eurovision-winning single ever.
Brotherhood of Man were formed in 1969 and had its heyday in the seventies. The two-boy, two-girl band was formed of Martin, Lee Sheriden, Sandra and Nicky Stevens.
It was 1972 when lee joined the group, who split up in the eighties and reunited in 1985. Their other hits included Angelo, Figaro and Oh Boy (The Mood I’m In) – the group landed three number one singles and four top twenty albums in the UK.
The group released 16 studio albums and sell over 15 million records. Lee also won three Ivor Novello awards during his impressive music career.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
