Hot Chocolates Tony Wilson Dies at 78

Hot Chocolate star Tony Wilson who is famed for the 1975 hit You Sexy Thing has died aged 78.

The bassist tragically passed away in Trinidad. His cause of death is currently unknown.

Tony co-founded Hot Chocolate, the first predominantly Black British group to make waves in the US Charts, alongside Errol Brown in 1969.

His daughter took to with the announcement on April 24, penning: 'Dad left us today, April 24th 2026. He left a lot of music behind...forever and ever.

'I am thankful that on Friday 17th during our conscious talk time he was led to the Lord with understanding. Some mornings later he asked for prayers. He said that he was leaving.

'The peace that I have is knowing that his soul escaped. He is in and at peace. That is the peace I also have. I give God thanks and praise. Look around....We carry nothing with us. We have to make our election sure. This is serious. The question remains, in the end, where will we spend eternity?'

His son Danny added in a separate post: 'It's been an emotional weekend. On Friday, my dad, the one and only TONY Wilson Musician passed away, aged 89, at his home in Trinidad. 

'Words don't do justice to the admiration I have for him as a human being or for his dedication to make his dream of getting the songs he wrote be heard. It wasn't until my mum dug out some old diaries of his from 1970 and '71 that I realised just how hard he had to work to achieve this dream. 

'Trust me, it is truly staggering. The knock backs, the interviews, the touring, the radio shows, the meticulous documenting of record sales. All the pressures of what was a cut throat music industry in the 70s. It's all in those diaries.

'I had the privilege of sitting down with him and going through those diaries with him on my trip to Trinidad with my family last year, and I will hold that memory dear for the rest of my days. 

'The way he lit up when I read each entry to him was the most animated I think I ever saw him, and he remembered just about everything he had painstakingly documented over half a century ago.

'Along with the many songs he wrote and performed with his band, Hot Chocolate, he also penned tracks for Herman's Hermits, Mary Hopkins and Mavis John, amongst others (there was mention of Ray Charles - but somehow, this was one of the things he couldn't remember!)'

He continued: 'I am very lucky. I can open up YouTube and see him and hear his voice whenever I want. And this weekend, I've been doing that a lot. He meant so much to so many people - of that I have become acutely aware through social media posts since his passing. 

'Many of which make reference to how overlooked and underrated his music was, and although totally biased, I have to agree. It has given me a huge amount of comfort reading them all.

'Rest easy dad, God knows you earned it.'