Dexys Midnight Runners star Andy Leek dies aged 66 after Parkinson's battle

Former Dexys Midnight Runners member Andy Leek has died aged 66 following his experience with Parkinson's disease, it's been announced.

Andy is best known for having been the pianist in the group before embarking on a solo career. His partner Deborah Smith Lawrence announced his passing on , as reported by .

In a post, Deborah wrote: "The unimaginable has happened. My beautiful Andy left us on Sunday 3rd November. Mercifully he was held safe at Goscote Hospice, which is the most peaceful place I have known in my entire life. He received truly compassionate and loving care from people there. I was with him, by his side in those most fragile last moments and he died as he lived, courageously."

The post continued: "Andy had lived with Parkinson's for the best part of two decades. He was a phenomenal person; by turns strong and gentle, funny and vulnerable, freedom-loving, fiercely creative, passionate and intelligent yet always so immensely loving, generous and authentic. His response to his diagnosis? To play music and to craft song. The album Waking Up the World was written in that malestrom."

She went on to express gratitude to those who cared for Andy and later announced that they had got married shortly before his death. "I cannot convey how bittersweet this is, to have married and to have lost the love of my life within one week," she said.

The statement continued with Deborah describing Andy as her "soulmate". She added: "Andy's incredible talent and musical legacy as a poet, songwriter, musician and a class singer will endure."

Andy is best known for having been a member of the Dexys Midnight Runners, having joined the band in around 1980. He was on keyboards for the group and worked on songs like Geno, which went on to top the charts in the UK.

He left the band shortly afterwards and pursued opportunities as a solo artist. Andy has released several albums in the decades since hisd ebut Say Something came out in 1988. He's also credited as having written songs for other artists, including tracks released by Tom Jones and ABBA's Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

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