80s Punk Rock Icon Unrecognizable at Wimbledon—Can You Guess Who?

A punk rock icon of the 1980s looked unrecognisable as he stepped out for a day at Wimbledon on Thursday. 

The Derry-born star, now 66, cut a dapper figure in a navy suit and polka dot tie as he joined a whole host of A-list celebrities in the Royal Box on Wimbledon’s fourth day.

He first shot to stardom as a teenager in the late 1970s along with five of his friends as the frontman of a major rock band.

A couple of short years later and he was performing the band’s breakout single on Top Of The Pops, and his career has only soared since then.

His band continued to release a host of pop gems before the star left the band in 1983 to pursue a solo career, scoring a number one with his own catchy pop track. 

He went on to cement his reputation in the music industry with a string of further hits, but can you guess who the star is?

A punk rock icon of the 1980s looked unrecognisable as he stepped out for a day at Wimbledon on Thursday

The Derry-born star, now 66, who seemed in great spirits for the afternoon, shot to stardom as just a teenager along with five of his friends as the front man of a major rock band 

He also went on to have a successful solo career – But can you guess who he is?  

That’s right, it’s none other than The Undertones frontman Feargal Sharkey!

Cutting a notably suave figure at Wimbledon, Feargal looked understandably a far-cry from his youthful days as a rocker.

The Teenage Kicks hitmaker joined the likes of Jack Whitehall, Abbey Clancy and Anthony Gordon to watch Britain’s Daniel Evans take on Novak Djokovic. 

The Irishman seemed in great spirits for the afternoon, as he was pictured laughing with spectators around him on a sunny day in south-west London. 

It comes just weeks after the 66-year-old made the heartbreaking admission that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He revealed he is ‘doing very well’ after the health scare, which has now been resolved, but was only uncovered after a routine health check for a sore throat. 

Feargal said his doctor insisted running a full set of tests after the check-up, noting his age and sensing there may be a more serious issue at play. 

Speaking to The Express, the rocker added: ‘Two days later, it turns out, I began a journey which led to the [diagnosis] of prostate cancer.  

That’s right, it’s none other than The Undertones frontman Feargal Sharkey! 

He enjoyed a successful career as a musician before going on to forge a name for himself in the business side of the music industry (pictured in 1980)

The Undertones did go onto reform in 1999 some 15 years after their initial split, but they did it without former frontman Feargal (the band pictured in 1981)

‘Thankfully, that’s all now been resolved a year ago.

‘But here we are, had it not been for that random visit to my local GP, I would never have known that I was at that point carrying prostate cancer.

‘If it had not been seen to, it could have been a very different ending and a very different outcome to my life.’

After choosing to pursue a career of his own in the early 1980s, Feargal enjoyed seven or so years as a solo artist before calling time on his career as a musician in the early 1990s.

He opted for a career in the business side of the industry, eventually becoming the head of UK music in 2008, an organisation representing the commercial rights of the country’s music.

More recently, Feargal has become an environmentalist, being particularly vocal against water companies. He has criticised their ‘greed, profiteering, financial engineering and regulatory incompetence’.

He has advocated for the protection of Britain’s rivers and waterways and even fronted a campaign highlighting the scandal of sewage in the country’s inland and coastal waters.

After choosing to pursue a career of his own in the early 1980s, Feargal enjoyed seven or so years as a solo artist before calling time on his career as a musician in the early 1990s