Cecil Womack: Soul star dies aged 65

R&B singer-songwriter Cecil Womack died last week aged 65, his brother Bobby has confirmed.

Cecil was best known in the UK for the 1988 hit Teardrops, which he recorded with his second wife Linda Cooke under the name Womack and Womack.

He also wrote hits for stars including Teddy Pendergrass, The O'Jays and his first wife, Motown singer Mary Wells.

"I was terribly upset when I heard about my brother's passing, and I still am," wrote Bobby on Facebook.

"We made music together for a long time, but we've had many differences over the years.

"Thankfully we got a chance to reunite last year after a very long separation - and little did I know that it would be the last time I would see him.

"I can only pass along what I have now learned, which is to not let anything - money, success, etc, come between you and your family."

She turned him down, later telling told the Independent newspaper the proposal was simply a "beautiful gesture", with Cecil "stepping in to protect me" after the death of her father.

For many years, the couple led separate lives. Womack married My Guy singer Wells and fathered three children. Linda endured further controversy after a teenage fling with her stepfather, Cecil's brother. Bobby, by then a successful solo star, was forced to flee the family home at gunpoint.