Singing star and pin-up Kathy Kirby, who achieved a run of hits in the 1960s, has died at the age of 72.
Her family said that the singer, who was nicknamed the ‘Golden Girl of Pop’, died after a short illness.
The blonde bombshell, whose biggest and best-known hit was ‘Secret Love’, also represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965, coming second to Luxembourg.
During her career had two top-ten hits and three other singles in the top 40, in 1963 she won Top British Female Singer in a New Musical Express poll.
She cemented her place as one of the biggest stars of the mid-1960s by appearing in the Royal Variety Performance and three television series.
Born Kathleen O’Rourke in Essex in 1938, convent-educated Kirby began her career working with bandleader Bert Ambrose, who guided her career and became her manager, taking her on the club circuit before agreeing a deal with Decca Records.
She adopted a ‘blonde bombshell’ look which saw her compared to Marilyn Monroe and, along with her lip gloss and pitch-perfect voice, became her trademark.
Of her decision to retire in her early 40s she once said: “I’d worked solidly from the age of 16. But for the first time in my life I found I liked not working.”
In 2009, a DVD celebrating Miss Kirby’s career was released, in which she gave her first on-camera interview for more than 25 years.
Her fans excitedly hoped this might signal a comeback, but it was not to be and she remained out of the public eye. Nevertheless she maintained a loyal following.
Actress and singer Anita Harris paid tribute to the singer: “Kathy had an endearing quality and, at times, resembled Marilyn Monroe in looks and body language. We met many times ‘on the rounds’ and I admired her greatly.”
Singer Brenda Lee added: “Kathy was such a star, but more than that, she was so sweet and down to earth, which was unusual for someone of her stature.”
