Former lead singer for the Bay City Rollers, Les McKeown has passed away at the age of 65. McKeown’s family announced his death on Thursday via social media.
The Bay City Rollers reached global phenomenon status in the 1970s and have been loved by fans around the world.
Various versions of the band have transformed over time, however when McKeown joined in 1973 and recorded “Remember (Sha-La-La-La)” that’s when the group’s success took off. The band also nabbed two successive No. 1 hits in the UK with, “Bye,Bye, Baby” and “Give a Little Love.”
In the U.S. the group saw massive success with “Saturday Night” in 1976, with the song going No.1. When McKeown left the group in 1978, that signaled the end of the band’s success, with the group almost disappearing from the charts.
A message sent from McKeown’s Twitter account said, “It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of our beloved husband and father Leslie Richard McKeown. Leslie died suddenly at home on Tuesday 20 April 2021. We are currently making arrangements for his funeral and ask for privacy after the shock of our profound loss.” The tweet was signed from Keiko and Jubei McKeown.
Most recently, Les and his current touring version of the Bay City Rollers were gearing up to make a post-pandemic splash, having shows booked throughout Europe from July 2021 into May of next year, according to McKeown’s website.
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