The news was announced by the duo’s social media this morning
Chas Hodges, of musical act Chas & Dave, has passed away at the age of 74.
The vocalist had recently received successful treatment for oesophageal cancer, but died in the early hours of Saturday morning following organ failure, the duo’s Twitter confirmed.
It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of our very own Chas Hodges. Despite receiving successful treatment for oesophageal cancer recently, Chas suffered organ failure and passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of this morning. pic.twitter.com/bwxqfHUjUg
— Chas And Dave (@chas_dave) September 22, 2018
Chas & Dave were known for the cockney, pub sing-a-long rock songs. First formed in 1975, Hodges acted as lead vocalist alongside David Victor ‘Dave’ Peacock.
Their major breakthrough came in 1979, with the top 20 hit “Gertcha”.
Their biggest commercial success came in 1982, with the single “Aint No Pleasing You”, which reached #2 in the UK charts.
In 1981, they memorably recorded “Ossie’s Dream (Spurs Are On Their Way To Wembley)” with the then-current Tottenham Hotspur’s squad, to mark the North London side reaching the FA Cup final. Hodges was a loyal Spurs fan, and they would go on to record several other songs for the team.
Other much-loved hits from the duo included “Rabbit” and “Snooker Loopy”. They also had their own variety show on ITV, entitled Chas ‘n’ Dave’s Knees Up, in the early 1980s, set in an East End pub.
The group split in 2009, but reformed in 2011, and in 2013 release That’s What Happens, their first studio album in 18 years.
Prior to forming, both Hodges and Peacock were successful session musicians. They notably played on Labi Siffre’s “I Got The…”, which was sampled for the hook of Eminem’s “My Name Is”.
