Marmalade singer Dean Ford has died at the age of 72

3 January 2019, 10:30 | Updated: 6 October 2023, 10:31

The Glasgow band were best known for their number one cover of 'Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da' by The Beatles.

Dean Ford was the lead singer of the Scottish group Marmalade, who had another 10 singles, including 'Reflections of My Life' and 'Rainbow', which Ford wrote.

On Facebook, his daughter called him "an amazing man, a gentle soul and extremely talented musician".

Born Thomas McAleese in, Lanarkshire, Ford co-founded Marmalade, originally known as The Gaylords, in Glasgow in 1961.

Their song 'I See The Rain' was later praised by Jimi Hendrix as the "best cut of 1967".

MARMALADE - Ob La Di Ob La Da (1969)

The band became the first Scottish group to have a UK number one hit, and they celebrated by wearing kilts on Top of the Pops.

The band also toured with The Who, duetted with Bobbie Gentry and had six top 10 singles. Ford quit the band in 1975.

He later moved to Los Angeles and became a limousine driver for the likes of Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan.

Just two months ago, he released a 30-track album called My Scottish Heart.