
Mike Smith, the singer and keyboard player for '60s British rockers the
Dave Clark Five, died of pneumonia this morning outside of London.
According to a
statement from his manager,
the infection was "a complication from a spinal cord injury he
sustained in September, 2003 that left him a tetraplegic (paralyzed
below the ribcage with limited use of his upper body)." Sadly, Smith
will now have to be posthumously inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall
Of Fame with the rest of the Five in less than two weeks, an event he
was still planning to attend despite a four year hospitalization and
ongoing medical problems stemming from his injury. The Dave Clark Five
shook their mops through a memorable 18 month run on the American Top
10 between the spring of 1964 and December of 1965, scoring at least
six smashes during the high moment of the British Invasion and enjoying
success on both sides of the Atlantic through the late '60s before
breaking up in 1970. Smith was 64.