Marc Almond

Singer Almond critically injured

By Rachel Williams, PA News

18 October 2004

Soft Cell singer Marc Almond is fighting for his life after a serious motorcycle crash.

The pop star is understood to have been riding pillion when the bike was in collision with a car.

He was reportedly thrown on to the road, suffering serious head injuries.

Both Almond, 48, and the rider, who also suffered severe injuries, are in hospital after the crash near Cannon Street station in central London yesterday afternoon.

Soft Cell scored a number one hit in 1981 with Tainted Love.

A spokesman for City of London Police said: "We can confirm that at about 4pm on Sunday there was a serious collision between a car and a motorcycle at the junction of Cannon Street and New Change in the City of London.

"Both the motorcycle rider and the pillion passenger are in hospital. The rider has severe injuries and the pillion passenger is critical.

"City of London Police are investigating the collision.

"We can confirm that one of the parties was Soft Cell's Marc Almond."

The vehicles were a Suzuki bike and a Vauxhall car, the spokesman added.

He could give no information about Almond's injuries.

Duo Soft Cell, one of the biggest–selling acts of the early Eighties, split in 1984.

Tainted Love, a sleazy cover of Gloria Jones's soul classic, was the biggest–selling UK single of 1981 and the 10th biggest seller ever in the US at the time.

Other hits for the band included Torch, Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

After the split, Almond went on to have single success with covers of Scott Walker's Jacky, David McWilliams' Days Of Pearly Spencer and Gene Pitney's Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart, featuring Pitney himself.

Flamboyant frontman Almond and musician David Ball reformed in 2001 to play a gig launching new venue Ocean in Hackney, east London.

In 2002 the duo released a brand new album, Cruelty Without Beauty, which was followed by a tour of Britain, Europe and America.

The single The Night, taken from the new album, was a top 40 hit and saw Soft Cell perform together on Top Of The Pops for the first time since the 1980s.

Almond has since gone on to develop a side career as a DJ, playing electro and electro–clash.

Soft Cell sold in excess of 10 million records worldwide in their heyday.

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