Singer-Songwriter Lynsey de Paul has Died, Aged 64

Singer - songwriter Lynsey de Paul has died, aged 64.

De Paul died in a London hospital on Wednesday (1 October) following a suspected brain haemorrhage, her agent confirmed.

It was reported that she had been suffering with severe headaches.

The British singer found fame in the 70s, scoring several top 20 hits and five top 20 UK chart hits, including 1972's Sugar Me.

She went on to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977 with the song Rock Bottom.

De Paul became the first woman to win an Ivor Novello award for song writing.

A second Ivor Novello Award followed a year later for No Honestly, which was also the theme tune to the ITV comedy of the same name, starring Pauline Collins and John Alderton.

She also wrote the theme to Esther Rantzen's BBC One series Hearts Of Gold.

Paying tribute, Rantzen, who fronted the show, called her "a renaissance woman".

"She could do everything - she could sing, she could compose, she was an immensely talented artist," she said. "She became a huge star but she was also a loyal and generous friend. It's an absolutely tragic loss."

In 1992, she presented a documentary about women's self-defence, called Eve Fights Back, which won a Royal Television Society award. The singer had spoken of her abusive childhood, and her history of violent relationships.

De Paul never married, but was romantically linked to a string of well-known men including Sean Connery, Dudley Moore and Ringo Starr.

In recent years she appeared in celebrity editions of TV shows such as Come Dine With Me and Cash In The Attic, and she also acted in the 2007 Stephen Fry drama Kingdom.

Her niece, Olivia Rubin, told the Times her death was "completely unexpected". "She was a vegetarian, she didn't smoke, she didn't drink - she was amazing, in fact."

Paying tribute to the star, her agent Michael Joyce said: "Although she was small in stature, she was very big in positive personality. She was always so positive about everything."