SAINT PETERSBURG (AFP) – Seventies disco icon Bobby Farrell, singer and dancer with the chart-topping group Boney M, died aged 61 in a Russian hotel room Thursday while on tour, his agent and investigators said.

The flamboyant performer known for his energetic dance moves “was found dead in his bed,” in a hotel room in Saint Petersburg, agent John Seine told AFP by telephone from Heemstede in north Netherlands, adding: “the cause of death is not known.”

Seine said Farrell had given a performance in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday, but “they told me that he was not feeling well.”

“This morning, he did not wake up.”

The Saint Petersburg investigative committee of prosecutors confirmed to AFP that the entertainer was found dead in his bed by an employee of the Ambassador Hotel on Thursday morning.

“There were no signs of a violent death,” the committee said, adding: “The investigation continues”.

Saint Petersburg news site Fontanka.ru reported that Farrell had come to the Russian city on Wednesday to take part in a corporate event, but reported feeling ill during his performance.

Farrell, a Dutch national born in Aruba, was the sole male member of Boney M, which won global fame with catchy disco numbers like “Belfast”, “Ma Baker”, and “Rasputin” — many of which won gold and platinum discs.

His agent told AFP that the star born Alfonso Farrell had suffered from ill health for the last decade, “heart problems, shortage of breath and problems with his stomach”.

Seine described his client as “quite a bizarre person. He had a big heart but he was explosive. He was a fantastic person.”

Remembered partly for his impressive afro

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