Presley was diagnosed with the disease in December 2011, and shortly after announced his retirement from The Troggs in a letter to fans which read:
“As you all know I was taken ill whilst doing a gig in Germany in December. During my stay in hospital tests showed that in fact I have lung cancer.”
“I am receiving chemotherapy treatment and at the moment not feeling too bad. However I’ve had to call time on The Troggs and retire. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the cards and calls and for your love, loyalty and support over the years.”
And the news of his death was broken to BBC News yesterday (February 4th) by his daughter Karen, while music publicist Keith Altham has wrote on Facebook:
“My dear old pal Reg Presley of The Troggs died today… surrounded by family and friends at his home in Andover following a succession of recent strokes and a losing battle with cancer.”
“He was one very real person in a sometimes very unreal world. Our thoughts are with his wife Brenda and the family and those legion of fans who loved his music and his band. I will miss him hugely.”
The Troggs were one of the most successful British groups of the mid-60s after forming in 1964, and enjoyed one of the era’s biggest singles with their 1966 cover of ‘Wild Thing‘.