The Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show member known for his eye patch and cowboy hat, Ray Sawyer, has died, pagesix.com reports. He was 81.
Sawyer’s publicist told pagesix.com he died in Daytona Beach, Florida, after suffering “a brief illness from which he didn’t recover.” However, his actual cause of death was not given.
Pagesix.com reported Sawyer stopped performing around three years ago due to his “declining health.”
Year of Alabama Music: Ray Sawyer (video)
The sometimes flamboyant member of Dr. Hook was born in Chickasaw, which is near Mobile. During the early years of his music career, he played drums at several Mobile nightclubs and performed with a band called the Chocolate Papers.
Sawyer known for singing lead vocal on “Cover of Rolling Stone.” He’s also a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
Sawyer appeared on a string of hits in the ’70s and ’80s, including “Sylvia’s Mother,” “A Little Bit More,” “Only Sixteen,” “Walk Right In,””Sharing the Night Together,” “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman,” “Better Love Next Time” and “Sexy Eyes.”
