Steve Ellis, the singer of British pop-rock band Love Affair, has died. He was 76.
The musician died following “complications from a chronic illness,” according to a statement shared on his official Facebook page.
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“It’s with a heavy heart that we share the news of Steve’s passing,” the post read. “After complications from a chronic illness, Steve peacefully left the world on the evening of October 30, 2026, in the presence of his loved ones.”
A specific cause of death was not disclosed.
Songwriter and longtime friend David Courtney also confirmed Ellis’ death in a Facebook tribute. “I am sad to announce the passing of my long time friend Steve Ellis sho left us yesterday,” Courtney wrote. “My thoughts are with Val and the family.”
Ellis rose to fame as the frontman of Love Affair in the late 1960s, when the British group scored its biggest hit with a cover of “Everlasting Love.” Originally released in December 1967, the song topped the U.K. singles chart in 1968, spending two weeks at No. 1, according to the Official Charts Company.
Written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden, “Everlasting Love” was originally recorded by singer Robert Knight and released in 1967. Knight’s version reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, while Love Affair’s recording did not chart in the United States.
Other Love Affair singles also reached the U.K. top 10, including “Rainbow Valley” (No. 5), “A Day Without Love” (No. 6) and “Bring on Back the Good Times” (No. 9).
Ellis began his professional music career at age 15, joining a North London band called the Soul Survivors in 1966. The group changed its name to Love Affair in 1967, according to his website.
Ellis left Love Affair in 1969 and went on to form his own band, Ellis, in 1972 alongside keyboardist Zoot Money and other musicians. The group released two albums, Riding on the Crest of a Slump (1972) and Why Not? (1973). He later joined rock band Widowmaker, which released its self-titled debut album in the mid-1970s.
After leaving Widowmaker, Ellis stepped away from the music industry and took a job working at the docks in England. His life took a dramatic turn in 1981 after a forklift accident severely injured his feet, beginning a lengthy period of surgeries and recovery that he recalled as being “in and out of hospital to mend [his] mashed feet,” according to his website.
Love Affair reunited under Ellis in 1991, with the singer leading his own touring group, Steve Ellis’ Love Affair, through 1998. He also continued recording solo material, releasing Best of Days in 2008, an album featuring contributions from Roger Daltrey and Paul Weller.
