ALVIN STARDUST – once called ‘the godfather of British rock and roll’ by Rolling Stones’ Keith Richard – has died from cancer at the age of 72.
The singer, famous for hits such as ‘My Coo Ca Choo’ and ‘I feel like Buddy Holly’, died from metastatic prostate cancer at his home in Billingshurst, West Sussex, with wife Julie Paton and family around him on October 23. Alvin was a committed Christian and he was planning to release his first studio album in three decades this November.
Among those paying tributes was Gerald Coates, former leader of the national Pioneer Churches network.
He said: “Sir Cliff Richard brought Alvin to a meeting in Cobham I was speaking at. He remained a good friend to the end.”
The glam rock star, whose real name was Bernard Jewry, became a Christian after he heard about the Gospel by a group of believers during a train ride in the late 1980s. His ex-wife Liza Goddard later reported that the singer came home and simply announced: “I’ve found God.”