Tony Thorpe, a guitarist and vocalist associated with 1970s band The Rubettes, has died at the age of 80. Multiple outlets report that his family announced his death following a period of failing health. Thorpe joined The Rubettes in 1974 and performed with the group until 1979, a span that includes the band’s major chart success. The Rubettes’ debut single “Sugar Baby Love” reached the top of the UK charts in 1974, and Thorpe performed with the band during that rise.
Accounts also describe Thorpe’s role in the group’s later work, including top 10 releases such as “Tonight,” “Juke Box Jive,” and “I Can Do It,” and subsequent shifts in the band’s sound toward more pop-rock material in the mid-to-late 1970s. Sources further note that Thorpe left the band in 1979, with reports of creative differences. Afterward, he did not rejoin during later reformations and continued to release music independently. The family statement cited his character and his impact as a mentor to musicians.
