It was Gary Leeds, better known as Gary Walker — the drummer and vocalist of The Walker Brothers — who is reported to have died on March 1 in Essex.
The announcement was shared on social media on behalf of his family and his wife, Barbara. In the message, he was described as “one of the loveliest people,” while friends and fans were thanked for years of warm words on birthdays and holidays.
Under the posts, hundreds of farewell messages appeared. Some wrote that he had been their “first idol and first love,” while others said an entire era had gone with him: “Now none of our boys are left — but they will never be forgotten.”
The group’s story began in 1964, when three young musicians joined forces under invented “family” surnames to make it easier to get into clubs and bars. In reality, they weren’t related — but on stage they sounded as if they had known each other all their lives.
After moving to London in 1965, they rose almost instantly to the top of the charts: Make It Easy On Yourself, My Ship Is Coming In, and then their biggest triumph — The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore. Their popularity became overwhelming, but exhaustion followed — and in 1968 the group split.
They reunited once more in 1975, but couldn’t fully recapture their earlier success: No Regrets became their last major hit, and in 1978 the group officially ended its journey. Scott Walker died in 2019 and John Walker passed away in 2011 — leaving Gary as the last living link to the group’s “golden” lineup.
He is survived by his wife Barbara, his son Michael, his daughter-in-law Louise, and his young grandson Robert. And for fans, what remains are the songs — still sounding today as if they were recorded yesterday.