Lyndsey De Paul was the GREATEST singer/songwriter. RIP

Lynsey De Paul, who had a major hit with Sugar Me and was the first woman to win an Ivor Novello Award, has died aged 64 following a suspected brain hemorrhage.

De Paul, from Cricklewood in London, enjoyed several top 10 hits throughout her career including two top tens in Ireland. Her best known song, Sugar Me, climbed to No 5 in the UK in 1972 and she became the first woman to win an Ivor Novello award for her hit Won’t Somebody Dance With Me.

In 1977 she was a runner-up for the UK with Rock Bottom in the Eurovision Song Contest as part of a duo with Mike Moran. The song was a No 7 hit in Ireland.

De Paul also wrote themes for TV shows, such as for ITV sitcom No Honestly, which was a chart hit and won her a second Ivor Novello Award.

Her friend, broadcaster Esther Rantzen said: “She was a renaissance woman. She could do everything – she could sing, she could compose, she was an immensely talented artist.

“She became a huge star but she was also a loyal and generous friend. It’s an absolutely tragic loss.”

De Paul never married but was romantically linked to Sean Connery, Dudley Moore and Ringo Starr.

An interview with the Daily Mail in 2007 revealed she had five offers of marriage, including one from James Coburn and another from Chas Chandler, bassist with The Animals.