Linda Lewis, whose singing career spanned more than four decades, dies aged 72

Singer-songwriter Linda Lewis, whose vocation spanned much than 4 decades, has died astatine the property of 72, her household has announced.

The British instrumentalist was known for a five-octave vocal scope and provided backing vocals for the likes of David Bowie and Rod Stewart.

She besides enjoyed solo occurrence successful the 1970s with songs including Rock-A-Doodle-Doo.

Paying tribute, chap instrumentalist Midge Ure said she had sung "beautifully".

Announcing the decease connected societal media, her sibling Dee Lewis Clay said her "beloved beauteous sister" had passed distant peacefully astatine location and described the decease arsenic "heartbreaking".

Lewis was calved Linda Ann Fredericks successful West Ham and attended signifier school, aboriginal gaining non-speaking roles successful British movie A Taste of Honey successful 1961 and, 3 years later, arsenic a screaming instrumentality successful the archetypal Beatles film, A Hard Day's Night.

A self-taught guitarist and keyboard player, she appeared astatine the archetypal ever Glastonbury Festival successful 1970 and had 4 top-40 hits implicit the adjacent decade.

Rock-A-Doodle-Doo reached fig 15 successful the UK successful 1973, portion It's In His Kiss - a disco screen of The Shoop Shoop Song, archetypal recorded by Merry Clayton - reached fig six successful 1975.

Her enactment with Bowie included backing vocals connected the Aladdin Sane album, portion different artists she worked with included Cat Stevens, Joan Armatrading, and Jamiroquai.

Writing connected Twitter, Ure said: "Really bittersweet to perceive this. I had a monolithic crush connected Linda Lewis.

"Not A Little Girl Anymore [the rubric way from her 1975 album] was a large opus and beautifully sung by her."

Mike Scott, frontman of Scottish set The Waterboys, said helium was "very sorry" to her of Lewis's decease and that she had been "fabulous".

Earlier this year, Lewis appeared connected the James Whale Unleashed amusement connected TalkTV and performed an acoustic mentation of Rock-A-Doodle-Doo.

Following her death, Whale said helium was "so bittersweet to hear" the quality and described the rendition arsenic "brilliant".