Steve Ellis, lead singer of the British band Love Affair, known for the hit „Everlasting Love”, died on Friday, 30 October, at the age of 76. The news was announced on his official Facebook profile.
According to a statement published on Facebook, the musician died peacefully in the evening of 30 October, surrounded by loved ones, after complications from a long-term illness. This is how the post is quoted by Billboard, among others. The family did not say what the illness was. As WFTV reports, citing People, Ellis said earlier this year in an interview with The Strange Brew that he had ended touring in 2025 because of problems with his lungs.
The death was also confirmed by the artist’s longtime friend, songwriter David Courtney, who wrote about it in a Facebook post (quoted by Billboard).
Who Steve Ellis was
Stephen John Ellis was born on 7 April 1950 in Edgware, near London. He began his career as a teenager. According to his website, cited by Billboard, at the age of 15 he joined the north London group Soul Survivors. The band later changed its name to Love Affair.
„Everlasting Love” and the chart summit
The song was written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden, and was first recorded by American soul singer Robert Knight. The Love Affair version, released in December 1967, reached number one on the British singles chart. As WFTV reports, it knocked off „Hello, Goodbye” by The Beatles, and Ellis was 17 at the time. According to Gold Radio, he was the only band member on the recording, with session musicians providing the instruments.
As Deadline notes, the biggest success in the United States came later with Carl Carlton’s 1974 version. Love Affair was never a major name there, but in Britain the group had several more hits. Deadline lists, among others, „She Smiled Sweetly”, „Rainbow Valley”, „A Day Without Love” and „One Road”. Members of the group included Lynton Guest, Rex Brayley, Maurice Bacon and Mick Jackson.
In 1969, Ellis began a solo career. Over the following decades he kept recording and performing, often with reformed lineups of Love Affair. According to the Guardian, he also collaborated with Paul Weller.
Family and tributes
As the Daily Voice reports, the musician is survived by his wife Val. Gold Radio also mentions a son, Louis, and daughters, citing a post by one of the artist’s friends.
Paul Weller paid tribute to Ellis as a dear friend and referenced the title of his biggest hit (as reported by Karlobag). Friends and fellow musicians remember him on social media as a superb vocalist and a kind person. The family’s Facebook post encourages fans to share their memories.
What it means for readers in Poland
„Everlasting Love” by Love Affair has for decades been heard on Polish radio stations and on compilations of 1960s hits. Details of the funeral had not been published at the time of publication.
