by Sir Rod Stewart has said he is “absolutely devastated” following the death of Cockney Rebel prime minister Steve Harley.
The musician, whose rock band rose to prominence in the 1970s, died “peacefully at home” aged 73, his family announced.
British rock singer Sir Rod paid tribute to the musician, who was “loved” and “respected”.
In a statement seen by the PA news agency, he said: “Totally devastated, words fail me.
“The Cockney Rebel left us.
“I loved and respected you Steve and always will. Sir Rod Stewart.”
Harley helped write a number of songs for Sir Rod and the former Faces man covered Harley’s song, A Friend For Life, which featured on his 2015 studio album Another Country.
Pop band Duran Duran covered Cockney Rebel’s most famous song, Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me), and bassist John Taylor thanked Harley for the music and “good vibes”.
In a statement seen by PA, he said: “Man, Cockney Rebel was fantastic, the first two albums – perfection.
“Then the number one pop song ‘Come Up And See Me’ brought Harley to the mainstream.
“We were lucky enough to have him as a guest on that song… the moment Steve walked in was really chilling, and I still remember it today. A great moment.
“Thank you Steve for the music and your good cheer. We miss you.”
The late musician was on tour last year but had to cancel dates in November and December as he underwent treatment for “bad cancer”.
A statement from his wife, Dorothy, and children, Kerr and Greta, said he “passed away peacefully at home, with his family by his side”.
They said the musician would be “greatly missed by people all over the world”.
In a post on his official website on Christmas Eve, Harley wished his fans a “happy, healthy New Year” as he revealed he had cancer.
He said: “I’m fighting a nasty cancer. My oncologist is happy with the effects of the treatment so far. It is tiresome, and tiring. But the fight is on.
“And thank God the cursed intruder is not interfering with the voice. I sing and play most evenings.”
Oh no! My friend, Steve Harley has passed away. I just found out on Twitter. I was just writing about it yesterday in my autobiography. What a talent. What a character. What a beautiful man. My condolences to Dorothy and all. RIP, my friend. I will write more soon 😢
— Mike Batt LVO (@Mike_Batt) March 17, 2024
Singer-songwriter Mike Batt, who worked with Harley on a number of songs including 1983’s Ballerina (Prima Donna) and the 1988 charity single Whatever You Believe, praised the musician as a “dear friend” and “a lovely person “.
“I was just writing about him yesterday in my autobiography”, Batt said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“What a talent. What a character. What a beautiful man. My condolences to Dorothy and all. RIP, my friend. Will be writing more soon.”
Scottish musician Midge Ure, who covered Harley’s 1982 track I Can’t Even Touch You, praised him as a “real working musician”.
“He toured until he couldn’t tour anymore, playing his songs for fans, old and new”, he wrote on social media.
“My thoughts are with Dorothy and her family at this very sad time. Our song will live on longer than we can.”
TV presenter Lorraine Kelly also said she “loved his music” and remembered watching the band as a teenager in tribute.
Paul Henderson, a former Sunday Mirror editor who worked with Harley in the East London Advertiser newsroom in the 1970s, described him as “a great musician” and “a deep, compassionate man who wanted the best for his family and to his friends”. .
Harley was born in Deptford, South London, in 1951 and due to a childhood illness, he spent almost four years in hospital.
His band Cockney Rebel released their first studio album, The Human Menagerie, in 1973 and followed it up with 1974’s The Psychomodo which went to number eight in the UK charts.
The band regrouped and changed their name to Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and it was under this moniker that they released a series of albums including 1975’s The Best Years Of Our Lives, which peaked at number four.
It also included Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me), which went to number one in the UK charts and was later covered by many artists and featured in films including The Full Monty.
For the 1986 debut of Phantom Of The Opera, Harley duetted with Sarah Brightman on the title track, which went to number seven in the charts.
He was originally cast in the title role for the musical but was later replaced by Michael Crawford.
In 2016, the musician teamed up with fellow artists including Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson and singer-songwriter KT Tunstall on a charity single recorded in memory of murdered MP Jo Cox.
