Duo’s official Twitter account announces death of
Chas Hodges, who had been diagnosed with oesophagal cancer
Chas Hodges, of the musical duo
Chas and Dave, has died at the age of 74. A statement on the pair’s Twitter account said: “It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of our very own Chas Hodges.
“Despite receiving successful treatment for oesophageal cancer recently, Chas suffered organ failure and passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of this morning.”
Tributes quickly poured in. The football club Tottenham Hotspur, whose players performed several songs with Hodges, tweeted:
Among the many songs Hodges recorded with the club, Tottenham, Tottenham, Hot Shot Tottenham and Ossie’s Dream were favourites among fans.
Sir Lenny Henry tweeted:
The deputy leader of the Labour party, Tom Watson, wrote:
The comedian Rob Beckett tweeted he was saddened by the death of Hodges, who, with Dave Peacock, “wrote the soundtrack to my childhood”. The Welsh music critic Simon Price tweeted: “I don’t know if I’ve ever had as much shameless fun at a gig as last time I saw Chas and Dave.”
Comedy writer and author Adam Kay tweeted: “Sad news. The very least we could do in Chas’ memory is make Ain’t No Pleasing You the new national anthem. Belting tune.” Radio DJ and TV presenter Iain Lee tweeted:
The musical duo were popular during the 1970s and 80s, known for their cockney take on rock’n’roll. They rose to fame with hits Rabbit, Gertcha, Snooker Loopy and Ain’t No Pleasing You. They split in 2009 when Peacock retired after the death of his wife, Sue, but reunited a year later.
In 2017, Hodges revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus after he struggled to swallow a glass of water. He underwent chemotherapy and returned to performing last year, but was forced to cancel all gigs in August on doctor’s advice.
Before teaming up with Peacock in a musical partnership that lasted more than 40 years, Hodges was a member of the band called the Outlaws. Hodges also backed a string of famous musicians in the late 1950s and early 60s, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent and Bill Haley. He appeared as a special guest alongside the Beatles on their final British tour in 1966, as a member of Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers.