Bobby Farrell, the flamboyant front man for 70s disco act Boney M died just after Christmas while on tour in Russia. He was found dead in his hotel room in St Petersburg by hotel staff when he didn’t answer a wakeup call. The 61 year old had reportedly complained of breathing problems before and after his show in the city. His agent, John Seine, confirmed that he had been bothered by “heart problems, shortage of breath and problems with his stomach” for the last 10 years.
Farrell was born on the tiny Caribbean island of Aruba, a Dutch dependency, and moved to Europe to work as a DJ in Norway before ending up in Germany. It was here that he met the legendary Frank Farian, a svengali like record producer and musician who put together the group Boney M, named after an Aussie TV show. With Farian recording the bulk of the music and vocals, Farrell and associated female backing musicians would take such hits as ‘Daddy Cool’ and ‘Rivers of Babylon’ out on the road to wide acclaim and kept touring up until his death. He is survived by a son and daughter.
