The Warrenpoint Co. Down Irish singer Ms Clodagh Rodgers sadly passed away on Good Friday last, April 18th aged 78 years. Ms Rodgers, who had been ill for around three years, passed away at her home in Cobham, Surrey, England, where she had lived for many years.
Ms Rodgers was best known for her hit singles which included “Come Back and Shake Me”, “Goodnight Midnight” and “Jack in the Box” and albums including “You Are My Music”, “It’s Different Now” and “Save Me”.
Save Me
Ms Rodgers was asked to represent the UK in the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin. Despite being a Roman Catholic female and from Northern Ireland, she received death threats from the Irish Republican Army (IRA); latter who regarded her as a traitor, as a result of her agreeing to appear for the United Kingdom.
Regional juries decided she was the winner, with her song “Jack in the Box”, with lyrics written by John Worsley and David Myers. On Eurovision night she went on to finish in fourth place, behind Monaco, Spain and Germany.
Ms Rodgers was married twice; firstly to Mr John Morris in 1968, in London. Mr Morris later became her manager, with the marriage producing one son, before they divorced in 1979.
She married her second husband, guitarist Mr Ian Sorbie, in 1987; with whom she had a second son in 1984. They remained married until Ian’s death from a brain tumour in 1995.
Ms Rodgers had numerous successes on stage and screen, including ‘Sunday Night at the London Palladium’; ‘The Morecambe and Wise Show’; ‘The Two Ronnies’; ‘The Bill’ and became the face of ‘Bisto Gravy’, in a series of television advertisements.
In ár gcroíthe go deo.
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