Tony Wilson, the bassist and founding member of the iconic soul band Hot Chocolate, best known for their 1975 hit "You Sexy Thing", has died at the age of 89. His family confirmed that Wilson passed away on Friday, 24 April, at his home in Trinidad. The news was announced by his daughter on Facebook, who wrote: "He left a lot of music behind...forever and ever. I am thankful that on Friday 17th, during our conscious talk time, he was led to the Lord with understanding." She added that he is now "at peace".
Son’s emotional tribute
Wilson’s son, Danny, also paid an emotional tribute to his father, describing the profound admiration he holds for him. "Words don't do justice to the admiration I have for him as a human being or for his dedication to make his dream of getting the songs he wrote be heard," Danny said. He revealed that he had unearthed his father’s old diaries from the 1970s, which documented the gruelling journey of a musician in a fiercely competitive industry.
"I realised just how hard he had to work to achieve this dream," Danny continued. "Trust me, it is truly staggering. The knock backs, the interviews, the touring, the radio shows, the meticulous documenting of record sales. All the pressures of what was a cut-throat music industry in the 70s. It's all in those diaries." He shared a cherished memory of going through the diaries with his father during a family trip to Trinidad last year. "The way he lit up when I read each entry to him was the most animated I think I ever saw him, and he remembered just about everything he had painstakingly documented over half a century ago," Danny added.
Early career and formation of Hot Chocolate
Born in Trinidad, Wilson began his musical journey in various bands, including The Flames, The Souvenirs, and The Corduroys. He met Errol Brown in the late 1960s, and together they formed Hot Chocolate in 1968. The band quickly rose to fame with hits such as "Love is Life", "You Could Have Been a Lady", and "Emma". In 1975, they released "You Sexy Thing", which peaked at number two on the British charts and later gained renewed popularity after being featured in the 1997 film The Full Monty.
Departure and aftermath
Wilson left Hot Chocolate in 1975 to pursue a solo career. In a 1998 interview with The Independent, Brown reflected on their strained relationship after the split. "Tony and I had been extremely close, almost like brothers, and although he was happy that he had finally got off the ground with Hot Chocolate, he was probably a bit peeved that I was the singer," Brown said. "Tony had started as the front man but ended up having to hide behind me. The problems got worse, until we had a row about a B-side I had written. I told him: ‘If that is the way that you feel, I don't think we should share royalties any more.’ His retort was: ‘I don't want to share anything with you anyway.’ It must be very tough for him now because that song was 'You Sexy Thing' which went on to become a standard. That one argument must have cost him millions of pounds."
Hot Chocolate continued as a band after Wilson's departure. Brown died from liver cancer in 2015 at the age of 71, and original guitarist Franklyn Delano De Allie passed away three years later.
