'You sexy thing' singer dies at 71

Singer Errol Brown, best known for the song "You sexy thing", has died after suffering from liver cancer, his manager said. He was 71.

The singer died on Wednesaday at his home in Bahamas, aceshowbiz.com quoted Brown's manager Phil Dale as saying.

"Errol Brown MBE passed away in rhe Bahamas this morning, with his wife Ginette and daughters Colette and Leonie by his side, of liver cancer," Dale said in a statement.

"Errol was a lover of life and obviously 'music!'. I never went into his home, car or a hotel room without music playing. And it always played constantly in his dressing room before a concert," the manager explained.

Following the statement, some fellow artists pad tribute to the "You sexy thing" singer on Twitter.

Born in Jamaica, Brown moved to Britain in 1960 with his mother.

He began his career as a musician when his band, Hot Chocolate, covered singer-songwriter John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" and sent a copy to Lennon's record label, Apple, for approval.

He then made it big with his band in the mid-1970s with hit singles, "You sexy thing" and "Every 1's a winner."

To recognise his services to popular music, Queen Elizabeth II made Brown an MBE (Member of British Empire).

His manager added: "His greatest legacy is that his music will live on."