He died at the age of 42 in 1983, but Billy Fury remains one of the best-loved of Britain's early rock stars, whose record of 24 hits in the 1960s was only equalled by The Beatles (though he never got a number one). Born in Liverpool, Fury was playing guitar by the time he was 14, fronting his own group at 16. He was signed by entrepreneur Larry Parnes who changed his name from Ronald Wycherley to Billy Fury and got him a contract with Decca Records.

His moody looks and yearning voice attracted a big following when he started appearing regularly on television, getting his first hit in 1960 with 'Colette'. At one point The Beatles failed an audition to become his backing band (the gig went instead to The Tornados) as his long series of hits started in earnest with big ballads like 'Halfway to Paradise', 'Once Upon a Dream', 'Like I'd Never Been Gone' and 'It's Only Make Believe'. A teen heartthrob, Fury also starred in the movies 'Play It Cool' and 'I've Gotta Horse'. However, plagued by heart problems all his life, he gradually disappeared from the spotlight in the 1970s, devoting himself to his passion for wildlife. He attempted a comeback in the early 1980s but died after a heart attack in 1983.

Billy Fury

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