By admin 
Introduction
The Life & Death of Billy Fury
Billy Fury, born Ronald Wycherley on April 17, 1940, in Liverpool, rose from a fragile childhood to become one of Britain’s most beloved early rock-and-roll icons. His life began with struggle: born underweight and frequently ill, he battled rheumatic fever from the age of six, a condition that permanently weakened his heart and cast a long shadow over his future. At one point, he overheard a doctor tell his mother he might not live past 30—a prediction he carried with him for the rest of his life.
Despite these obstacles, the young Ronald developed a deep love for music. He took piano lessons at eleven, but everything changed at fourteen when he received his first guitar. Though he later admitted he only mastered three chords, he poured his creativity into songwriting, often inspired by the American country-and-western records brought into Liverpool by sailors.
His teenage years were marked by a series of humble jobs—engineering assistant, tugboat deckhand, department store employee—but music always tugged at him. In 1958, at just eighteen, he recorded six original songs at Percy F. Phillips’ famed Liverpool studio and sent the tapes to impresario Larry Parnes. When no reply came, he entered a local talent contest and failed again to make an impression. But his mother persisted, writing once more to Parnes—who finally agreed to meet him.
What followed became part of British pop history. During a tour stop, Billy performed several songs for Marty Wilde and, during the interval of the show, was unexpectedly brought onstage. Nervous to the point that his knees visibly shook, he sang “Margo” and “Maybe Tomorrow.” The audience loved him. Overnight, Ronald Wycherley became Billy Fury, a name Parnes believed better suited a future star. “Maybe Tomorrow” soon reached the UK Top 20, and Fury signed a seven-year deal with Decca Records.
Billy’s early albums—especially The Sound of Fury—showed his raw energy as a rockabilly singer, but Parnes gradually steered him toward smooth, dramatic ballads. With hits like “Halfway to Paradise,” “Jealousy,” and “When Will You Say I Love You,” Billy became one of the most successful British artists of the early 1960s, second only to the Beatles, Cliff Richard, and Elvis Presley in total UK chart hits.
Yet the heart condition he had carried since childhood began to worsen. Performances were canceled, illnesses became frequent, and depression began to take hold. Though he continued working—recording albums, acting in films, and appearing on television—his health steadily declined. By the 1970s, he required multiple heart operations and found some peace living quietly on rural properties in Surrey and later Wales, supported by his longtime partner, Lisa Rosen.
In the early 1980s, a potential comeback glimmered. He recorded new material and planned a national tour. But on January 28, 1983, Billy Fury was found unconscious in his London flat. Rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital, he was pronounced dead at just 42. The heart that had fought so long had finally given out.
Billy Fury rests today in Mill Hill Cemetery. His final posthumous release, “Forget Him,” briefly returned him to the charts—fitting for a man whose music and legacy refuse to fade.