The Outfield lead singer Tony Lewis dies at 62

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Musician Tony Lewis, vocalist and bass player for the British band The Outfield, died "suddenly and unexpectedly" on Monday at age 62 near London, England, according to his spokesperson. His cause of death has not yet been announced.

After growing up in the East End of London as a fan of the Beatles, as well as glam rockers like David Bowie and T. Rex, Lewis formed a band with drummer Alan Jackman and guitarist/keyboardist and songwriter John Spinks in the late 1970s called Sirius B. The more pop-leaning group had trouble breaking out in a British music scene ruled by punk rock, so they disbanded for several years, re-forming as The Baseball Boys in 1984.

The British band was quickly signed by Columbia Records, and thought to be marketable in the U.S for their American sounds. They changed their name to The Outfield at their manager's suggestion.

Their 1985 debut album Play Deep went on to become a multi-platinum selling album with hits like "Your Love" and "All the Love." Despite only reaching No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 1986, "Your Love" has become a widely known classic used in many different TV spots, commercials, and films.

While Jackman left the band after their third album Voices of Babylon in 1989, Lewis continued making music with Spinks as The Outfield, touring and releasing albums on a regular basis until Spinks died of liver cancer in 2014.

In recent years, Lewis began releasing music as a solo artist, including his 2018 album Out of the Darkness and 2020 EP, Unplugged—The Acoustic Sessions.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Carol, his two daughters, Gemma and Rosie, and three grandchildren.

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