With “You Sexy Thing” and “Everyone’s a Winner” he had hits in the seventies. Musician Tony Wilson has died at the age of 89.
04/29/2026, 09:2404/29/2026, 09:24
Jennifer Doemkes / t-online
The music world mourns Tony Wilson: the co-founder and bassist of the British cult band Hot Chocolate is dead. As his family confirmed, he died on April 24, 2026 at the age of 89 in his native Trinidad. He left “in peace,” according to a post on Wilson’s official Facebook page.
Hot Chocolate bassist Tony Wilson (left) is dead.Image: imago stock&people
His son Danny also shared an emotional post on his account. “Words don’t do justice to the admiration I have for him as a person,” he wrote, paying tribute to his father as a passionate musician who, despite many setbacks, steadfastly believed in his dream – “that the songs he wrote would be heard.” He “left behind so much music” that will live on.
Tony Wilson played a key role in the international success of the band Hot Chocolate – not only as a musician, but also as a songwriter. Together with singer Errol Brown, he wrote numerous hits, including the global success “You Sexy Thing”, which conquered the charts in 1975 and later experienced a comeback with films such as “The Full Monty” and “Boogie Nights”.
John Lennon signed them
The two musicians met in the late 1960s London met and founded Hot Chocolate shortly afterwards. They owed their breakthrough to a new recording of John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance”, which the Beatle himself liked so much that he signed the band.
Wilson was originally the lead singer of the group, but later moved to bass while Errol Brown took over the frontman role. Together they wrote a number of other successful songs such as “Everyone’s a Winner”, “Love Is Life”, “Emma” and “Brother Louie”.
Despite the great success, Wilson left the band in the mid-1970s after disputes over royalties and then devoted himself to his solo career. Although he released his own albums, he was unable to build on his earlier successes. In addition to his work with Hot Chocolate, he also wrote songs for other artists including Herman’s Hermits and Mary Hopkin.