Gerry Marsden, the voice the 60’s classics "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying," "Ferry Cross the Mersey" and "I Like It," has died from a heart infection. The Liverpool, England native was 78 years old.
Marsden retired from performing in 2018, after years of health issues, including two open-heart surgeries.
The second group signed by talent manager Brian Epstein, Gerry and the Pacemakers first came to America three months after The Beatles' arrival in 1964 and even appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. They also sang on the first episode of NBC's prime-time rock and roll series Hullabaloo.
They took advantage of the Epstein blueprint to star in their own movie. Ferry Cross the Mersey was like A Hard Day's Night, also a fictionalized version of the group’s rise to stardom.
Marsden fronted later versions of the Pacemakers from the '80s onward, and returned to the U.S. several more times.
Paul McCartney commenting on Marsden's death, tweeting, "Gerry was a mate from our early days in Liverpool. He and his group were our biggest rivals on the local scene. His unforgettable performances of 'You’ll Never Walk Alone' and 'Ferry Cross the Mersey' remain in many people’s hearts as reminders of a joyful time in British music..."
[courtesy of Classic Hits Today]