Joe Longthorne

Longthorne was born in Hull,[1] England, into a musical family[2] of a "travelling, Romany background".[3] He grew up in the Hessle Road area of Hull, known for its fishing community, and considered himself as a "Hessle Roader". He attended Villa Place Primary School, St Wilfred's Primary School and Sydney Smith High School.[4]

Longthorne came first in a talent show when he was six; his prize was a toy motor car. At fourteen he landed a part in Yorkshire Television's series Junior Showtime, and remained with the show for over two years.[5][6] He later turned professional and earned a living in Northern working men's clubs.[7]

Longthorne appeared on television in 1981, through the London Weekend Television series Search For a Star,[7] where he performed as a singer and impressionist.[5] His success on the show led to appearances at the London Palladium and a month-long season at London's Talk of the Town.[2] He played the London Palladium many times.[7]

In 1988 he presented his own television series, The Joe Longthorne Show.[8]

Longthorne appeared regularly on several TV programmes in the 1980s, amongst which the notable ones were The Les Dennis Laughter Show and The Royal Variety Performance.[2] He performed in theatres in the United States and at the Sydney Opera House.[7] Longthorne also released three platinum albums for Telstar, The Joe Longthorne Songbook, Especially For You and The Joe Longthorne Christmas Album.[9]

Longthorne was known for his renditions of songs in the style of Dame Shirley Bassey. His other impersonations included Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Tom Jones.[8]

The Variety Club awarded him its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007; this placed him amongst past recipients such as Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Ella Fitzgerald.[10]

Longthorne was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to charity.[7][11]

Longthorne lived in Blackpool, Lancashire, with his husband and manager, James Moran.[7] Longthorne was bisexual,[3] and had a son, Ricky, from a previous relationship; the two were estranged for 17 years, until reuniting in 2009.[12]

Longthorne was diagnosed with chronic lymphatic lymphoma, for which he received treatment, around the time of his appearance at the Royal Variety Performance in 1989.[7] He continued to perform in spite of his illness. However, in 2005, the lymphoma degenerated into leukaemia, and he underwent a bone marrow transplant.[13] In 2014, Longthorne was found to have throat cancer, but remained adamant in newspaper interviews that he would continue to perform after his operation.[6]

Longthorne died at home in Blackpool on 3 August 2019, aged 64.[7] He is interred at Layton Cemetery in Blackpool.

• Only Once[9]
• The Singer[9]
• I Wish You Love[9] (1993)
• Live at the Royal Albert Hall[9] (1994)
• The Joe Longthorne Songbook[9] (1988)
• The Christmas Album[9] (1989)
• Especially For You[9] (1989)
• The Joe Longthorne Christmas[9] (2003)
• Sings to the Gods[9] (2008)
• Golden Memories[9]
• A Man and His Music[14] (2013)
• Joe Longthorne: the Christmas Album[9] (2013)
• Love & Reflection[14] (2002)
• Seasonal Songs from the Heart[14] (2005)
• Perfect Love[14] (2005)
• What a Wonderful World[14] (2006)
• You and Me[14] (2008)
• Live: A Man & His Music[14]
• Joe Longthorne – The Collection[14] (2015)
• The Silver Years (2020)

• Joe Longthorne – Sugar in the Morning: The Autobiography (2015)ISBN 1784187186[15]

• – Official Website