Gary Leeds, the last surviving member of the Walker Brothers, has died aged 83

Gary died on 1 March in Essex, according to friends and family.

He rose to fame as part of the Walker Brothers alongside John Maus and Noel Scott Engel, who performed under the names John Walker and Scott Walker.

The trio achieved major success after relocating from the United States to Britain in the mid-1960s, becoming chart regulars with hits including Make It Easy On Yourself, My Ship Is Coming In and The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore.

Gary remained the final surviving member of the group following the deaths of Scott Walker in 2019 aged 76 and John Walker in 2011 aged 67.

News of Gary's death was shared in a social media message posted by a close friend on behalf of Gary's wife Barbara Leeds.

In the statement, the friend said: "Our beloved Gary passed away this evening and I know you will all join me in sending our deepest sympathy and love to all the members of the Leeds family and their close friends.

"Gary was the loveliest of guys and I take comfort in the knowledge that all of you here, with your love and messages on his birthdays and at Christmas, made him very, very happy that you all still cared and loved him just as much as you always have.

"Rest in loving peace our wonderful Mr Gary Walker. We will all miss you very, very much and it was a joy to have you in our lives."

Another friend of the family confirmed the circumstances of Gary's death.

They told The Sun: "I'm sorry to confirm that he passed away peacefully on Sunday 1 March after suffering a stroke not long before Christmas."

Gary is survived by his wife Barbara, to whom he had been married to for 46 years, along with their son Michael, daughter-in-law Louise and grandson Robert.

The Walker Brothers were formed in 1964 when Gary joined John Maus and Noel Scott Engel, with the group adopting the Walker surname as a stage identity even though none of the members were related.

Noel performed as Scott Walker, John Maus performed as John Walker and Gary adopted the name Gary Walker.

After moving to Britain in 1965, the trio quickly found success with their version of the Burt Bacharach song Make It Easy On Yourself, which reached number one in the UK charts.

The group followed the success with My Ship Is Coming In, before achieving another major hit with The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore, which also became their biggest success in the United States.

The band's popularity surged during the mid-1960s, particularly among teenage audiences, but tensions within the group eventually led to their breakup in 1968. They reunited briefly in 1975 and released No Regrets, their final chart success, before disbanding again in 1978.

After the group split, Scott Walker's solo albums Scott, Scott 2, Scott 3 and Scott 4 were widely praised by critics.