Ellis sang lead on the recording that topped the UK singles chart in 1968 for two weeks. His official page announced his death after complications from a chronic illness and invited fans to share memories.
Steve Ellis, the singer behind Love Affair’s chart-topping Everlasting Love, died aged 76 on 30 October 2026. A social-media announcement cited by the Guardian said he died “peacefully” after “complications from a chronic illness”.
AOL said the announcement appeared on Ellis’s official Facebook page. The statement said he died in the evening, with loved ones present.
Ellis formed Soul Survivors aged 15, inspired by Black US soul and R&B performers including James Brown, and the group became Love Affair in the mid-1960s. Their breakthrough came with Everlasting Love, written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden and originally recorded by US singer Robert Knight. With Ellis singing lead, Love Affair’s version spent two weeks at the top of the UK singles chart in 1968.
Love Affair followed it with three more UK top-10 hits: Rainbow Valley, A Day Without Love and Bringing on Back the Good Times.
Ellis left Love Affair in December 1969 to pursue a solo career. He later said the band wanted to play progressive rock while he remained devoted to soul music. He also said screaming fans had stopped the musicians from hearing what they were playing.
In 1972, he formed the band Ellis, whose debut album Roger Daltrey produced. He later recorded Widowmaker’s self-titled debut in 1976 before that band continued without him. Solo albums followed: The Last Angry Man in 1977 and Basement Days in 1983.
Best of Days in 2008 reunited Ellis with Daltrey and began a lasting recording partnership with Paul Weller. Both appeared on the album, with Weller joining Ellis for a live acoustic version of Everlasting Love.
The 2026 edition brings participants from nine countries and 16 cities across Europe and Asia, with more than 100 planned masterclasses, lectures and creative meetings. Three concerts are scheduled for 4, 5 and 7 November.
Weller co-wrote two tracks and co-produced Ellis’s 2018 album Boom! Bang! Twang! The pair also co-wrote Just to Simplify, released in 2022. Ellis’s most recent album, Baby Faced Assassin, came out in September 2026 with three songs co-created with Weller.
Weller paid tribute to Ellis, writing on Instagram: “God bless ya Stevie safe travels everlasting love for sure.”
The announcement on Ellis’s official page invites people to leave thoughts, memories or condolences for his family in the post’s comments.
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