Bay City Rollers frontman Les McKeown dies at 65 | Ents & Arts News

Bay City Rollers singer Les McKeown has died aged 65, his family said.

In a statement posted on Twitter, they wrote: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband and father Leslie Richard McKeown.

“Leslie passed away suddenly at her home on Tuesday, April 20, 2021.”

Arrangements are being made for the funeral, which will be limited to 30 people in accordance with coronavirus rules, with the family seeking privacy in the midst of their “shock and deep loss”.

They did not reveal the cause of his death.

The group’s official Twitter account posted to say they were “saddened” by the news and send their prayers to the McKeown family.

Fans paid tribute to the singer on social media, writing: “I feel so sad. Les was part of my childhood.

“His posters were all over my wall and I begged my dad for a Bay City Rollers scarf. I learned the lyrics to each song and sang them more times than I could count.

Another posted: “I loved the Bay City Rollers. I had all the gear, cropped pants, tartan on the sides, tartan scarves, posters on my bedroom wall.”

Boxing legend Frank Bruno commented: “He was part of the music scene when I was growing up and I remember tartan-clad girls all screaming, it was a hysterical time when it came to music, with David Cassidy and Bay City Rollers from The Osmond, it seems yesterday. “

Formed in the late 1960s, the Bay City Rollers enjoyed tremendous success at home in Scotland and abroad with their distinctive tartan outfits and songs such as Bye Bye Baby and Shang-a-Lang.

They had a massive teenager and were hailed as the “greatest band since the Beatles”.

After McKeown arrived in 1973, the band broke the mainstream the following year, …