Cliff Fish

Cliff Fish
Background information
Born	(1949-08-13)13 August 1949 Ripley, England
Died	14 April 2023(2023-04-14) (aged 73) Cyprus
Instrument	Bass guitar
Years active	1967–2023
Formerly of	Paper Lace

Clifford Victor Fish (13 August 1949 – 14 April 2023) was a British bass player. He was in Paper Lace from 1967 until his death in 2023.

Career

Fish formed Music Box in 1967 with Phil Wright, the band that later became Paper Lace.^[1] They auditioned for Opportunity Knocks in 1970 but did not appear on the show until 1973, winning five episodes in a row.^[2] The following year, they topped the UK charts with "Billy—Don't Be a Hero" and had a second hit single "The Night Chicago Died".^[2][3] Paper Lace disbanded in 1980. Fish and Wright reformed the band in 2015, and Fish remained in the band until his death.^[4]

In 2013, Fish and the band played at the 100th birthday party of his mother-in-law, Pat Bell at the Derby Conference Centre.^[5]

Death

Fish died at his home in Cyprus on 14 April 2023, aged 73,^[5][6] after battling cancer for two years.^[6] He was married to Elaine and had two sons, Rob and John.^[6][7]

References

1. "Local Radio - provided by TopCat Radio". www.salfordradio.com. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
2. "Billy Don't Be A Hero (Paper Lace) | Jon Kutner". Retrieved 16 June 2025.
3. "BILLY - DON'T BE A HERO". Official Charts. 23 February 1974. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
4. Earnshaw, Jessica (16 April 2023). "Paper Lace star Cliff Fish dies at 73 as wife speaks out". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
5. "Derbyshire Paper Lace star Cliff Fish had passed away". Derbyshire Live. 17 April 2023. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
6. "Paper Lace bass player Cliff Fish dies, aged 73". Gold Radio. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
7. Duffy, Carly; Adkin, Lana (16 April 2023). "Paper Lace band member Cliff Fish has died at the age of 73". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 16 June 2025.