Entertainment

From life-threatening illness to drugs: Where are Bay City Rollers now?

Jul 03, 2018

The Bay City Rollers have transformed in recent years. Source: Getty.

The Bay City Rollers were one of the biggest musical acts of the 1970s, and the band’s success launched members Eric Faulkner, Stuart John Wood, Les McKeown and Alan and Derek Longmuir into the spotlight.

But the group has undergone dramatic changes in the years since, with original members battling everything from life-threatening illnesses to drug addiction and gay affairs.

Now, some of the group have joined forces to pay moving tributes to Alan Longmuir, after he tragically passed away following a short battle with an illness he contracted while in Mexico.

Three weeks ago the 70-year-old was flown home to Scotland after falling ill in South America and at 6am on Monday, surrounded by family, he died at the Forth Valley Hospital in Larbert, the BBC reported.

McKeown, who has battled his own health issues in the past, dubbed his old friend “the original Bay City Roller”.

Now, here’s a look at the other members of the original band, and the demons they’ve battled in recent years.

While some of the original musicians left the band for good in the late ’70s and ’80s, Faulkner went on to work as a lead singer of a reformed version of the band in the ’90s. However, it never received the same fame as the original set-up.

In 2015, the singer almost died when he contracted Viral Encephalitis, eventually leaving him with post Encephalitic Syndrome. He’s not thought to have performed in public since – although he plans to return to the stage later this year.

He went on to set up a Just Giving page for The Encephalitis Society, and a description reads: “On February 8th 2015 he nearly died when he was struck down suddenly with Viral Encephalitis. Thankfully, because of speedy diagnosis and treatment he is now almost fully recovered.”

Les McKeown has opened up on overcoming his demons. Source: Getty.

Elsewhere, McKeown has battled his own illnesses, including alcohol and drug addiction, leading to a shock confession on a TV show that briefly ended his marriage to Japanese wife, Peko.

Speaking to Starts at 60, Les previously opened up on the moment he realised he had hit “rock bottom” before confessing to a string of gay affairs behind his wife’s back, as well as a horrific date rape he endured when he was just 19-years-old.

In the depths of his addiction, the singer was given an offer to appear on Living TV show Rehab, in 2008-2009. It challenged stars to overcome a range of addictions, from drugs and alcohol right through to plastic surgery. While everyone else was given two weeks to detox, Les ended up staying for four months – and it led to him opening up on-air about his secret life.

“It’s worth fighting, getting help, talking to people, getting support so people can help you through difficult times,” he said. “I think it was my alcoholism that forced me into a situation which was probably a little risky.”

McKeown has now started his own band following his success, named Bay City Rollers Featuring Les McKeown. They are touring Australia later this year.

His former bandmate John “Woody” Wood remained loyal to the band throughout the years – and is still performing music now. He was just 16 when he joined the band in the 1970s.

Wood went on to move to South Africa and performed in a band called The Passengers, which became a chart topping success throughout the 1980s. He currently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland with his wife Denise and dog Elvis.

And finally, Alan Longmuir’s brother Derek was also part of the initial line-up of the band, and he went on to embark on a whole new career when they split up – training as a nurse and working at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

In 2000, he was sentenced to 300 hours’ community service after admitting possessing child pornography. He later claimed the footage wasn’t his, but he had pleaded guilty to attempt to avoid a “media circus”. He was fired from his role at the time, but later readmitted to the nursing register.