The singer who knocked The Beatles off the top of the British chart was the only member of his own band to appear on the record that did it.
Steve Ellis, frontman of the London group Love Affair and the voice on its chart-topping version of “Everlasting Love,” died on the evening of Oct. 30, 2026, at 76, from complications from a chronic illness, with loved ones present.
A statement posted on the singer’s official Facebook page announced the death. “Dear Friends, It’s with a heavy heart that we share the news of Steve’s passing,” the statement said, before inviting fans to leave thoughts, memories and condolences for the family in the comments. It closed with two words: “Everlasting Love.”
The Record That Toppled the Beatles
Love Affair released its cover of “Everlasting Love” in 1967, and the record reached No. 1 in Britain in January 1968, where it stayed for two weeks. Ellis was just 17 when the song reached No. 1. On its way to the top it knocked The Beatles’ “Hello Goodbye” off the top of the UK chart.
The song was not the band’s own. Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden wrote it, and the U.S. soul singer Robert Knight had the earlier hit with it in America, reaching No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Carl Carlton’s disco remake in 1974 climbed to No. 6, seven places higher. In Britain, though, the version people sang back was the one cut by a teenager from Edgware.
The cover came out of a rehearsal session in Walthamstow, where the group played a copy of Knight’s record. “I loved it and so we set about putting it down on tape,” Ellis said of hearing it for the first time.
Why Island Rejected the First Cut
Muff Winwood produced the band’s original recording, and Island Records rejected it. The producer Mike Smith then cut a new version with Ellis and session musicians, saying they were pressed for time. Apart from Ellis, the band did not play on the version that went out. The group acknowledged as much when questioned on the talk show “Good Evening I’m Jonathan King.”
From Edgware Teenager to Widowmaker
Ellis was born in Edgware, northwest London, and formed his first band as a teenager, The Clifton Bystanders. He then put together the Soul Survivors, the outfit that became Love Affair when the group came together in London in 1966. The pop and progressive rock band paired him with drummer Maurice Bacon, bassist Mick Jackson, keyboardist Lynton Guest and guitarist Rex Brayley.
Their first single, “She Smiled Sweetly” in 1967, carried a songwriting credit for the Rolling Stones writers Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and it flopped. Four more U.K. Top 20 hits followed — “Rainbow Valley,” “A Day Without Love,” “One Road” and “Bringing On Back the Good Times” — three of which cracked the Top 10. The album “The Everlasting Love Affair” arrived in December 1968.
Ellis quit in December 1969, after the band’s experiment with a new sound flopped. He sang on the soundtrack of “Loot,” the 1970 film of Joe Orton’s play directed by Silvio Narizzano, then formed the short-lived band Ellis before joining Widowmaker, whose debut studio album came out in 1976.
A forklift accident in 1980 left him with severe foot injuries, and years of hospital visits and rehabilitation followed before he could walk again. Love Affair reunited several times over the years, and Ellis released a string of solo albums, including “Baby Faced Assassin” in 2026. “Everlasting Love” kept turning up on screen, in “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” and in Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast,” where Jamie Dornan sang it.
“God Bless Ya Stevie”
Paul Weller, the guitarist, singer and songwriter who fronted The Jam, was among the first to pay tribute. “Our dear mate Stevie Ellis passed on last week. God bless ya Stevie safe travels everlasting love for sure,” he wrote on Facebook.
The record producer David Courtney posted his own tribute. “I am sad to announce the passing of my long time friend Steve Ellis,” he wrote. “My thoughts are with Val and the family.”
The blues musician Norman Beaker said he recently played on a track for Ellis’ new album, one of his own compositions, “She Heals My Soul.” He remembered Ellis as a friend with a formidable voice and legendary standing in the mod movement, and said he would be sadly missed.
BCM Entertainments Ltd, the Kent-based festival company, said Ellis had been a familiar and much-loved face at its events for years, bringing what it called timeless songs and wonderful performances for its audiences. The company sent condolences to his family, friends, fellow musicians and everyone who worked with him, and thanked him for the music and the memories.
Boom Radio said it was sorry to learn of the death of the legendary Love Affair frontman, praised his voice and noted he was 76. Heritage Chart Radio said it was deeply saddened and called Ellis one of the great voices of British music, adding that his talent, passion and contribution to the soundtrack of so many lives would never be forgotten.
