Beverley Knight and Nile Rodgers have led tributes to Hot Chocolate frontman Errol Brown.

Errol Brown

Errol Brown

The 'Shoulda Woulda Coulda' hitmaker was among the first celebrities to share her sorrow on Twitter shortly after learning of the 71-year-old singer's death at his home in the Bahamas on Wednesday (06.05.15) after a long battle with liver cancer.

She tweeted: "I am so gutted. Errol Brown was such a charismatic performer."

Former Suede member Bernard Butler wrote: "Ah goodbye Errol Brown. Always reminds me of the congas thru the wahwah under the desk, Mickie Most and @RAK_Studios @nigelgod (sic)"

Chic singer Nile also took to the social media site to remember the late star, who had a string of hits with his band throughout the 1970s and '80s, with tracks such as 'You Sexy Thing', 'Every 1's a Winner' and 'So You Win Again' charting in over 50 countries.

The 62-year-old performer tweeted: "We had some good times back in the day. #ErrolBrown RIP"

Drummer Jon Atkinson, who toured with the singer more than 10 years ago, wrote: "Really sad to hear of the passing of Errol Brown. I toured with him in 2003/4..he was an absolute star.A really lovely guy and amazing voice (sic)."

Chris Evans revealed he is planning to dedicate a portion of his radio show to Errol later today (07.05.15), while choreographer Arlene Phillips fondly remembered the singer's unique voice, writing: "RIP Errol Brown, such a lovely and talented man with a voice of velvet."

The musician's manager Phil Dale confirmed his death in a statement, adding: "Errol was a gentle man and was a personal friend of mine who will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him. His greatest legacy is that his music will live on."

The singer, who is survived by his wife Ginette and two daughters Colette and Leonie, was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to popular music for the United Kingdom in 2003, and later went on to receive an Ivor Novello Award for outstanding contributions to British music the following year.

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