Reg Presley of the Troggs dies aged 71

Reg Presley, lead singer of 60s British rock band The Troggs, has died aged 71.

Presley had announced his retirement from music a year ago after being taken ill during a concert in Germany and being diagnosed with lung cancer.

The Troggs had a number of hit records including ‘Wild Thing’, ‘A Girl Like You’ (a song that my band, The Threads, used to play in our ‘live’ set) and ‘I Can’t Control Myself’.

I was very fortunate to work with Reg on the Mod Aid 20 single in January 2005 and always remember him saying how much he loved his Sunday lunches and would never miss one. I reminded him that the recording session we were currently undertaking was on a Sunday and asked how he had got round that one, to which he replied, “Easy - I had my wife make me a Sunday roast yesterday!”  We also had a laugh with him about crop circles that were of great interest to him. Having said to Reg that 90% of crop circles were probably done by drunk students on a Friday night, he quickly retorted with , “Ah yes, but how do you explain the other 10 per cent then?” Good question Reg!!!

Music publicist Keith Altham said on Facebook his "dear old pal" had died after "a succession of recent strokes and a losing battle with cancer".

BBC 6 Music presenter Marc Riley paid tribute to the "great character" of Presley.

"He was... so engaging and, at the same time, having been so influential, he was so humble and so likeable," he said.

In January 2012, in a letter to fans posted on his band's website, Presley had said: "As you all know I was taken ill whilst doing a gig in Germany in December. During my stay in hospital tests showed that in fact I have lung cancer. I am receiving chemotherapy treatment and at the moment not feeling too bad. However I've had to call time on The Troggs and retire. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the cards and calls and for your love, loyalty and support over the years."

Presley was born in Andover, Hampshire, and founded The Troggs in the early 1960s. The singer, who had a strong interest in crop circles and UFOs, published a book, ‘Wild Things They Don't Tell Us’, about the paranormal in 2002. He was a really nice guy and will be missed.