Colin Vearncombe Dead: Black Dies after Car Crash Aged 53

Colin Vearncombe, who performed under the name Black, has died at the age of 53, two weeks after being injured in a car crash.

The singer, whose 1987’s single Wonderful Life was a top 10 hit around the world, suffered head injuries in the crash in Ireland on January 10, and was placed in an induced coma.

Black died on January 26 surrounded by his family in hospital, his publicist said.

His wife Camilla said she was “deeply grateful” to staff who cared for him.

Colin Vearncombe, who was in intensive care at Cork University Hospital, “died peacefully” with his family at his side “who were singing him on his way”, a statement said.

“Colin received the best possible care from the expert and highly professional staff there and we are deeply grateful for everything they did,” his wife and three sons said in a statement.

Born in Liverpool in 1962, Colin Vearncombe had his first top 10 hit with the single Sweetest Smile in June 1987 when he was 25 years old.

The singer’s second hit song Wonderful Life, which he had previously released but only got to number 72 in the charts, made the top 10 in the UK, Switzerland, Germany, France, Austria, the Netherlands and Italy.

However, despite having found fame, Colin Vearncombe later said “the pop star life” was not as he had imagined it.

Wonderful Life has since been used in numerous advertisements and films, and has been covered by artists including Tina Cousins and Katie Melua.

The album of the same name sold more than 1.5 million copies and peaked at number three.

Although he is best known for Wonderful Life and another 1980s single Sweetest Smile, Colin Vearncombe released 15 albums under his own name.

In 2015, he returned to his original stage name for a crowd-funded album, Blind Faith, which received positive reviews.

He has also published poetry and staged exhibitions of his paintings in south-west Ireland, where he lived in later life.

Hundreds of fans wrote messages of support on Black’s Facebook page following the crash.

Black’s publicist said there would be a private funeral, as well as a memorial service for him in Liverpool “as we know there are many, many people who will want to celebrate Colin’s life and work”.