Hip-Hop Lives Here
Hip-Hop Lives Here
Tony Wilson, bassist, songwriter and founding member of Hot Chocolate, has passed away at the age of 78.
His family confirmed that the musician died on Friday 24 April 2026 in his birthplace of Trinidad, bringing to a close a career that played a key role in shaping one of Britain’s most successful soul acts of the 1970s.
Wilson’s daughter announced the news in a moving Facebook message, saying her father “left us today, April 24th 2026,” and adding that he “left a lot of music behind… forever and ever.”
She reflected on their final moments together as deeply personal, sharing that he had recently asked for prayers and spoke with a sense of calm about his passing.
She wrote: “The peace that I have is knowing that his soul escaped. He is in and at peace."
Wilson’s son Danny also paid tribute in an emotional message, describing the weekend as “emotional” while highlighting his father’s tireless commitment to songwriting.
He shared that old notebooks from the early 1970s revealed just how much effort Wilson put into building his career.
He wrote: “The knock backs, the interviews, the touring, the radio shows, the meticulous documenting of record sales… all the pressures of what was a cut-throat music industry in the 70s."
Danny added that revisiting those diaries together during a family trip last year remains a memory he deeply values.
A cause of death has not been disclosed at this time.
Born in Trinidad, Wilson later relocated to the UK as a young man and began his musical journey in the early 1960s, first releasing a solo single, Yes I Do, in 1964 through Decca Records.
His path shifted in 1969 when he joined forces with Errol Brown to form Hot Chocolate. The group went on to make history for Black British artists on the US charts, establishing a lasting legacy in pop and soul music.
Hot Chocolate achieved worldwide recognition with a run of hit records, most notably the 1975 classic You Sexy Thing, which Wilson co-wrote.
The song became one of the defining tracks of the era and continues to stand as one of the most iconic releases in British pop.
Wilson left Hot Chocolate in 1975 and went on to release two solo albums, I Like Your Style and Catch One.
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T.I. has dealt with numerous legal disputes over the years, and now he is taking on Cinq Music. Back in 2017, the Atlanta artist sold a significant portion of his recorded catalog to the company, according to Billboard. He now claims they are refusing to follow through on an agreement that would allow him to repurchase his masters at a later date for a lower price. Instead, he alleges they are demanding nearly $50 million more than what he actually owes.
“Cinq regretted that it had agreed to the [option terms], and, therefore … did everything it could to frustrate plaintiffs’ efforts to complete the purchase,” T.I.'s attorney, Robert Jacobs of Manatt Phelps & Phillips, stated.
T.I. further claims that Cinq attempted to “artificially inflate” the value of the masters in order to secure a larger payout. “Using these tactics Cinq sought to extract a purchase price from plaintiffs that was nearly 20 times higher than the price mandated by the parties’ agreed-upon formula," the lawsuit alleges.
Cinq Music is not the only party T.I. has clashed with recently. He has also been dealing with renewed tension involving 50 Cent, which resurfaced earlier this year. During a podcast appearance, T.I. claimed that 50 Cent backed out of a Verzuz battle they had both agreed to and said he lost respect for him over it.
50 Cent responded aggressively, even bringing T.I.’s wife Tiny into the situation. That led to her sons, King Harris and Domani Harris, stepping in to defend her. Both released diss tracks aimed at 50 Cent, referencing his past shooting, domestic violence allegations, and more.
T.I. later shared on The Breakfast Club that he felt King may have crossed a line when he referenced his rival’s late mother in the feud.
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