Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty has died aged 63 following a long illness. His family have said the singer passed away peacefully at home with his daughter Martha.
Rafferty was born in Paisley, Scotland, and during his early years played in the folk assemble The Humblebums with comedian Billy Connolly, who would often recount stories of their time in the band together during his routines.
He then formed Stealers Wheel in the 1970s and went on to achieve much commercial success. As a solo act, he enjoyed a big hit with the track ‘Baker Street‘, and found a new generation of fans when Stealers Wheel’s 1972 single ‘Stuck In The Middle With You‘ was iconically used by Quentin Tarantino in his 1992 film ‘Resevoir Dogs‘.
Rafferty left homes in Kent and Hampstead, for a move to California in his later years. He then settled in Ireland and finally to Dorset in the south of England.
His later music career was dogged by well publicised alcohol problems, and he released his final album, ‘Another World‘, in 2000.
I’ve been a fan of Gerry Rafferty for many years. He will surely be missed.