Charlie Thomas dead – The Drifters legend has died aged 85 after battling liver cancer

THE Drifters singer Charlie Thomas has died aged 85 after a battle with liver cancer.

Thomas was part of The Drifters for over 60 years and was the lead singer on tunes like the hit Sweets for My Sweet and There Goes My First Love.

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Boyfriend Peter Lemongello Jr. confirmed the star died on Jan. 31 at his home in Bowie, Maryland.

“He was getting older, but he was active almost every weekend,” he told the New York Times.

“Unfortunately he went from active to at home and it went downhill.”

Charlie also led vocals on When My Little Girl Is Smiling in 1962, with the hit peaking at #28.

He brought his distinctive tenor voice to songs like There Goes My Baby, Under The Boardwalk and Up on the Roof.

The Drifters were first formed in 1953, but Charlie didn’t become a member until several years later in 1959.

At the time he was singing with a band called The Five Crowns at a theater in Harlem.

When one of the members of The Drifters got drunk and berated their manager George Treadwell, he decided to fire the entire original cast.

He replaced them with the members of The Five Crowns, including Stand By Me’s Ben E. King.

Charlie – who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with the group in 1988 – is survived by his wife, Rita Thomas.

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