Influential Merseybeat performer Gerry Marsden, who led the outfit Gerry and the Pacemakers, has passed away at the age of 78. One of Marden’s close friends, British broadcaster Pete Price, revealed that the performer had a “short illness which was an infection in his heart,” shortly before his passing.
“It’s with a very heavy heart after speaking to the family that I have to tell you the Legendary Gerry Marsden MBE after a short illness which was an infection in his heart has sadly passed away. Sending all the love in the world to Pauline and his family,” Price wrote. “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Founded in 1959, Gerry and the Pacemakers were one of the many Merseybeat outfits coming out of Liverpool during the 1960s. Backed by famed Beatles’ manager and record producer Brian Epstein and George Martin respectively, the group would go on to achieve success with their singles “How Do You Do It?”, “I Like It,” “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “Ferry Cross The Mersey.” The band would release seven studio albums from 1963 to 1966, before ultimately splitting up the latter year. Marsden would perform under Gerry and the Pacemakers beginning in 1972 until his retirement in 2018.
As one of the defining Merseybeat groups of the 1960s, Gerry and The Pacemakers fused rock and roll, skiffle, and traditional pop music into the region’s signature sound. Songs such as “You’ll Never Walk Alone” have a distinct pop ballad feel, which still has a fresh sound to this day.
A number of notable artists such as Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have all posted tributes to the performer on social media.
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