Tony Wilson, co-founder of the band Hot Chocolate and co-writer of the hit 'You Sexy Thing,' has died at his home in Trinidad. He was 89. A cause of death was not reported.
Tony Wilson, the former Hot Chocolate bassist and vocalist, died Friday at his home in Trinidad, according to the BBC. His son, Danny, shared a tribute on Facebook, writing, “Words don’t do justice to the admiration I have for him as a human being or for his dedication to make his dream of getting the songs he wrote be heard.” Danny noted that old diaries from 1970 and ’71 revealed how hard Wilson worked to achieve his goals. Wilson’s death comes just days after the band's early successes were revisited in media coverage. Born in Trinidad, Wilson played in groups like the Flames, the Souvenirs, and the Corduroys before co-founding Hot Chocolate in London in the late Sixties. The band gained early notice with a reggae-inflected cover of John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance,” released on the Beatles’ Apple label in 1969. Errol Brown recalled to the BBC in 2009, “Amazingly, a week later I got a call to say John Lennon approved it and wanted to sign the band to the Apple record label.” Their first charting hit, “Love Is Life,” reached Number 6 in the U.K. in 1970. Hot Chocolate blended soul, disco, reggae, and funk, becoming one of the first Black British groups with U.S. hits like “Brother Louie” in 1973 and “Emma” in 1974. The band's self-titled album featured “You Sexy Thing,” co-written by Wilson and Brown, which hit Number Two in the U.K. and Number Three in the U.S., later revived in films like Boogie Nights and The Full Monty. Wilson left the group in 1975, releasing solo albums including I Like Your Style in 1976, but did not match his earlier success. Errol Brown told The Independent in 1998 that he understood Wilson's frustration over lead singer roles, saying, “However, I will always be grateful to him for planting the seed and helping me find myself.” Wilson offered condolences to Brown's family after his 2015 death.
