Hot Chocolate co-founder and 'You Sexy Thing' co-writer Tony Wilson dies at 89

Tony Wilson, the Trinidad-born bassist who teamed with Jamaican-born singer Errol Brown to launch the British soul band Hot Chocolate, has died at the age of 89. His family said he passed away at his Trinidad home on April 24, but did not disclose a cause of death.

News of his death was shared on social media by his relatives. "Dad left us today," his daughter wrote on Facebook. "He left a lot of music behind…forever and ever. I am thankful that on Friday 17th, during our conscious talk time, he was led to the Lord with understanding. Some mornings later, he asked for prayers. He said that he was leaving. The peace that I have is knowing that his soul escaped. He is in and at peace."

His son Danny also paid tribute. "It's been an emotional weekend. On Friday, my dad, the one and only Tony Wilson passed away, aged 89, at his home in Trinidad. 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," he wrote. He added that diaries from 1970 and 1971, recently uncovered by his mother, revealed the relentless grind his father endured — the rejections, interviews, touring, radio appearances and careful logging of record sales — inside what was a brutal 1970s music industry.

Before Hot Chocolate, Wilson cut his teeth in groups such as The Flames, The Souvenirs and The Corduroys. He joined forces with friend Errol Brown to form the band in the late 1960s, and their breakthrough came in 1969 when they sent a reggae interpretation of John Lennon's 'Give Peace a Chance' to Lennon himself.

Their first single, 'Love is Life', climbed to number six on the UK chart in 1970. The band then delivered at least one hit single every year through to 1984 — a 15-year unbroken run that made them the first group in British chart history to achieve such a streak.

'Emma' became their breakthrough US single in 1975, a year after charting in Britain. Later that same year, 'You Sexy Thing' became the defining moment of their career, going platinum in the UK and lodging in the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 for several weeks. The song re-entered the charts in 1997 after appearing in the film 'The Full Monty'.

Shortly after the song's revival, Wilson exited the band to revive a solo career he had begun in the 1960s with a few singles on Decca Records. His two solo albums, 'I Like Your Style' (1976) and 'Catch One' (1979), failed to make a significant chart dent. Hot Chocolate's catalogue also includes the well-known tracks 'Every 1's A Winner' and 'So You Win Again'.

When Brown, who was born in Jamaica, died in 2015, Wilson posted a tribute on Facebook: "Rest in peace, Errol Brown. Heartfelt condolences to your family, friends and all fans." The group's first guitarist, Grenada-born Franklyn Delano De Allie, died in Bermuda in 2018.