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Disco singer Evelyn Thomas, whose song “High Energy” rose to the top of the U.S. dance charts and remains a club staple, has died at the age of 70.
Ian Levin, a longtime associate of Thomas’ and producer and songwriter who discovered the singer and signed her in 1975, broke the news of her death without disclosing the cause.
Regarding X, he I have written“It is difficult for me to accept that my lifelong student has truly left us. Her music will outlive us all.”
He also wrote that after a falling out in 2009, Ms Thomas contacted him earlier this year “knowing that she was dying”.
Thomas was born in Chicago on August 22, 1953. Her first hit was “Weak Spot”, which smashed the British charts in 1976.
In 1984, she achieved great success with the upbeat smash “High Energy,” co-written and co-produced by Levine and Fiachra Trench. The song was a hit with club-goers, and its title dovetailed with the name of a then-new music genre: “High Energy.”
“Nobody in the world could sing this song,” Levin wrote in X, stating that the song was written especially for her. The song has sold seven million records worldwide.
Thomas continued to chart in the UK and had two further hits on the US dance charts: covers of the Supremes, “Reflections” (1985) and “How Many Hearts” (1986).
She continued to release singles until her final single, “Stick to the Plan,” in 2008.
Thomas is survived by his daughter, recording artist Yaya Diamond.
