Daughter of South Tyneside rock legend John Miles pays tribute to 'family man' who died aged 72

Rock singer John Miles died in his sleep on Sunday, December 5 surrounded by his family in a hospital in Newcastle following a short illness.

John, who grew up in Hebburn, was best known for his hit ballad Music Was My First Love, which reached number three in the UK charts in 1976.

His daughter Tanya Walker has now paid tribute to her ‘humble’ and ‘genuine’ father following his death.

She said: “We are all completely heartbroken but dad had a fantastic life and he absolutely loved every minute of it, he met the most amazing people.

"He was humble and quiet, just a real family man and he loved South Tyneside – he always wanted to get back home, he was proud of where he was from.”

During his career, John performed alongside a string of global music stars including Tina Turner, Led Zeppelin founder Jimmy Page, the late Joe Cocker and opera tenor Andrea Bocelli.

Tanya added: “I remember as a child going to gigs all over the country during the school holidays, and it was just part of my life, but now I’ve seen all these tributes and lovely messages from people all over the world, I’ve thought to myself that’s my dad and he is the most talented man who is loved by so many.

"Music was his first love and we’ve truly lost a legend.”

The rock singer, who has two grandsons, performed regularly at the Last Night of the Proms and also received an outstanding contribution prize at the Progressive Rock awards in 2017.

His daughter Tanya says her father had been working on more music during lockdown and the family hope to release his album in tribute.

She said: “During lockdown he began to write a new album which we are still hoping to release to pay tribute – I think he would love it.

"It’s a difficult time for all our family and friends because we were all so close but he really did enjoy every minute of his life, he will be missed by all.”

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