George Melly , British jazz singer dies at 80

British jazz star George Melly has died on Thursday at his home in London at the age of 80, his wife Diana said in a statement. The singer and writer was also a lecturer on art history, specializing in Surrealism, as well as a film and television critic.


Melly had been suffering from lung cancer but refused all treatment. He also developed dementia. His last appearance was a performance in June at London's renowned 100 Club in aid of a dementia charity.



Melly’s wife said in a statement: "For 60 years he has been an acclaimed, popular and much-loved performer."

Melly, wit, anecdotist and writer as well as jazz singer, was the author of three acclaimed volumes of autobiography in which he wrote frankly about his bisexuality and heavy drinking.
The latest volume, published as he approached his 80th birthday, was called "Slowing Down."
A nonpareil showman habitually bedecked in loud suits and a jaunty fedora, Melly was a man of many careers, switching in the 1960s to become film and television critic for The Observer. Melly also lectured on art history, especially surrealism, and wrote the script for the Flook cartoon strip in Britain's Daily Mail newspaper.




"As a surrealist, I quite enjoy having dementia," he once gagged, making light of his disabilities.
Melly, whose singing style was strongly influenced by his idol, American Blues singer Bessie Smith, returned to jazz in the 1970s, performing with John Chilton's Feetwarmers.