Gordon Haskell: How Wonderful You Are singer dies aged 74

Gordon Haskell, the guitarist and singer who scored a huge chart hit late in his career, has died aged 74.

He released his first album in 1969, but failed to make the UK charts for the next three decades, despite releasing eight more solo albums.

However, his 2001 track How Wonderful You Are became a surprise hit, reaching number two in the UK singles chart.

It was narrowly beaten to the Christmas number one spot by Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman’s Somethin’ Stupid.

But that didn’t stop How Wonderful You Are from surpassing The Beatles’ Hey Jude and Frank Sinatra’s My Way in becoming Radio 2’s most-requested song ever.

Haskell had previously worked as a bassist in The Fleur de Lys and spent a short period as a guitarist and singer in King Crimson.

The news of Haskell’s death was announced on his official Facebook page on Sunday evening, though no cause was mentioned.

The post described him as “a great musician and a wonderful person who will be sadly missed by so many”.

‘Suddenly, there’s all this attention’

In 1970, Haskell briefly performed bass and singing duties for London prog rock band King Crimson, alongside his old Dorset schoolmate Robert Fripp.

After decades spent recording and performing, any real UK chart success had evaded Haskell until after the millennium when his How Wonderful You Are reached number two.

The jazz-tinged ballad started picking up momentum after it was first played on Radio 2 by DJ Johnnie Walker.

The station later said the track had become the most requested song in Radio 2’s history.

It narrowly missed bagging the UK Christmas number one, losing out to Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman’s cover of Somethin’ Stupid.

“Suddenly, after all these years, there’s all this attention,” he said at the time. “But I’ve been living on skid row for so long that if I make a million now, it’s back pay.”

The album the track was taken from, Harry’s Bar, also reached number two.

In 2002, Haskell told the BBC he made his records the old-fashioned way, and claimed his late arrival had struck “a blow for the old school” and rocked the music industry machine.