Linda Lewis, singer with five-octave range who provided backing vocals for David Bowie, dies aged 72

Singer-songwriter Linda Lewis, who was known for her five-octave vocal range and ability to perform a wide array of genres, has died at the age of 72, her family has confirmed.

Lewis, whose career spanned more than four decades, enjoyed solo success in the 1970s and provided backing vocals for artists such as David Bowie and Rod Stewart.

“It is with the greatest sadness and regret we share the news that our beloved beautiful sister Linda Lewis passed away today peacefully at her home,” her sister Dee Lewis Clay said on social media.

“The family asks that you respect our privacy and allow us to grieve at this heartbreaking time.”

She was born Linda Ann Fredericks in West Ham and attended stage school and taught herself to play guitar and keyboard.

She appeared in a non-speaking role in the British film A Taste Of Honey in 1961 and as a screaming fan in the first Beatles film A Hard Day’s Night three years later.

Lewis appeared at the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970 and had four top 40 hits throughout the next decade.

Her first was Rock-a-Doodle-Doo, which reached number 15 in the UK in 1973.

Her biggest hit was It’s In His Kiss, a cover of Cher’s The Shoop Shoop Song, which reached number six in 1975.

She also toured with Kat Stevens and provided backing vocals for Bowie on his Aladdin Sane album, as well as Stewart, Steve Harley and Cockney Revel, Rick Wakeman, Joan Armatrading and Jamiroquai.