Mike Scott

Singer-songwriter Linda Lewis , whose career spanned More Than four decades, has died at the Age Of 72, her family has announced.

The British musician was known for a five-octave vocal range and provided backing vocals for the likes of David Bowie and Rod Stewart .

She also enjoyed solo success in the 1970s with songs including Rock-A-Doodle-Doo.

Paying tribute, fellow musician Midge Ure said she had sung " beautifully".

Announcing the death on Social Media , her sibling Dee Lewis Clay said her " beloved beautiful sister" had Passed Away peacefully At Home and described the death as " heartbreaking".

Lewis was born Linda Ann Fredericks in West Ham and attended Stage School , later gaining non-speaking roles in British film A Taste of Honey in 1961 and, three years later, as a screaming fan in The First Beatles film, A Hard Day's Night.

A self-taught guitarist and Keyboard Player , she appeared at The First ever Glastonbury Festival in 1970 and had four top-40 hits over The Next decade.

Rock-A-Doodle-Doo Reached number 15 in the UK in 1973, while It's In His Kiss - a disco cover of The Shoop Shoop Song, first recorded by Merry Clayton - Reached Number Six in 1975.

Her work with Bowie included backing vocals on the Aladdin Sane album, while other artists she worked with included Cat Stevens , Joan Armatrading , and Jamiroquai.

Writing on Twitter, Ure said: " Really sad to hear this. I had a massive crush on Linda Lewis .

" Not A Little Girl Anymore [the title track from her 1975 album] was a great song and beautifully sung by her. "

Mike Scott , frontman of Scottish band The Waterboys , said he was " very sorry" to her of Lewis's death and that she had been " fabulous".

Earlier this year, Lewis appeared on the James Whale Unleashed show on TalkTV and performed an acoustic version of Rock-A-Doodle-Doo.

Following her death, Whale said he was " so sad to hear" The News and described the rendition as " brilliant".

Source of news: bbc.com