Tony Wilson Dead at 78

Hot Chocolate co-founder and bassist Tony Wilson, who co-wrote the band’s biggest hit “You Sexy Thing,” has died. He was 89.

Wilson’s death was announced on April 24 by his family on his official Facebook page. “Dad left us today, April 24th 2026. He left a lot of music behind…forever and ever,” the post read. “I am thankful that on Friday 17th during our conscious talk time he was led to the Lord with understanding.”

“Some mornings later he asked for prayers. He said that he was leaving. The peace that I have is knowing that his soul escaped. He is in and at peace. That is the peace I also have,” the post continued. “I give God thanks and praise. Look around….We carry nothing with us. We have to make our election sure. This is serious. The question remains, in the end, where will we spend eternity?”

Wilson’s son also confirmed his father’s death in his own Facebook post, writing that he had passed away at home in Trinidad. No additional details surrounding Wilson’s death have been released.

“Words don’t do justice to the admiration I have for him as a human being or for his dedication to make his dream of getting the songs he wrote [to] be heard,” Danny Wilson wrote. “It wasn’t until my mum dug out some old diaries of his from 1970 and ‘71 that I realized just how hard he had to work to achieve this dream. Trust me, it is truly staggering.”

Danny pointed out that his father also wrote music songs Herman’s Hermits, Mary Hopkin and Mavis John, adding, “I am very lucky. I can open up YouTube and see him and hear his voice whenever I want. And this weekend, I’ve been doing that a lot.”

“He meant so much to so many people – of that I have become acutely aware through social media posts since his passing,” he continued. “Many of which make reference to how overlooked and underrated his music was, and although totally biased, I have to agree. It has given me a huge amount of comfort reading them all.”

Hot Chocolate was formed in 1968, with the original lineup consisting of Wilson on bass, Errol Brown as the lead vocalist, Patrick Olive on percussion, Franklyn De Allie on guitar, and Jim King on drums.

The band’s biggest hit, 1975’s “You Sexy Thing,” was written by Wilson and Brown, and hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song went on to feature in movies like The Full Monty, Rat Race and Boogie Nights, cementing it as a cultural classic.

After a fight regarding royalties for the song, Wilson exited Hot Chocolate for a solo career, which included the 1976 album I Like Your Style. Wilson’s solo career failed to take off, and the BBC reports that he stopped releasing new music in the 1980s after working with the band Real Magic.