Nick Kamen, the British model and vocalist who showed up in a well known 1985 Levi’s commercial, has died at 59 years old.
A friend of the family affirmed his demise to the PA Media news office on Wednesday.
The office said it understood that Kamen – conceived Ivor Neville Kamen – passed on Tuesday night after a long ailment.
Kamen’s friend and fellow singer Boy George led the tributes via social media, sharing a photograph of the pair together on Instagram.
“RIP to the most beautiful and sweetest man Nick Kamen!” he wrote.
Following the information on Kamen’s death, Duran bassist John Taylor portrayed him as “one of the loveliest and gentlest men I ever met” while sharing an old image of late star.
Brought into the world in Essex, southeastern England, Kamen catapulted to fame when he showed up on the front of “The Face” magazine in 1984, wearing lipstick, aviator glasses and a ski hat.
He became a global sex symbol the next year, when he stripped down to his boxers in the memorable 1985 Levi’s 501 commercial, soundtracked by Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through The Grapevine.”
In the wake of parlaying his popularity into a music career, Kamen collaborated with Madonna on the 1986 record “Each Time you Break my Heart.” The track, from his eponymous debut album, was co-written by Madonna and Stephen Bray, and featured Madonna’s backing vocals. It crested at number 5 in the UK singles chart.