sister act
Babs Beverley dead – Beverley Sisters star dies aged 91
The singer made a name for herself with hits like I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Little Drummer Boy and How Much is That Doggie in the Window?
BEVERLEY Sisters star Babs Beverley has died aged 91.
The singer made a name for herself with hits like I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Little Drummer Boy and How Much is That Doggie in the Window?
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Born Babette P Chinery, Babs formed the Beverley Sisters with twin Teddie and older sister Joy after growing up in East London's Bethnal Green.
The Beverley Sisters have been described as "the forerunners of the Spice Girls and Little Mix and girl power".
In a pre-rock'n'roll era, the trio's sweet harmonising and Barbie-doll looks made them stars of stage, radio and television, which was just beginning to establish its place in British households.
They quickly became a hit, even listed in the Guinness World Records as the world's longest surviving vocal group without a change to the original line-up.
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They were also the first British girl group to break into the US Top 10.
Paying tribute to Babs, agent Johnny Mans told the Press Association: "She had been at a care home in Brighton for a while and had cancer for five-and-a-half years but she still looked gorgeous.
"To me they were all wonderful girls, exceptional personalities, really bubbly and always smiling.";
"She will be sadly missed because they were legends in their own lifetime and people will still remember them."
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The sisters had become known for singing risque songs - even wearing see-through blouses on television.
In a 2015 interview, Bab said: "We were shy personally, but bold professionally."
Older sister Joy died aged 91 in 2015.
Mr Mans said it was poignant Babs had died the same age as her older sister.
He said: "The legend of the Beverley Sisters will go on forever.
"I will miss her as a friend and agent. We used to go to a lot of functions together and they were unique. Even if they were late, they would make an entrance."
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At the height of their fame they shared a Rolls-Royce with the registration plate BEV 3.
They lived in adjacent homes in north London, where they bought a plot of land and built three identical houses "detached, but almost touching".
When Joy and her sisters arrived at Buckingham Palace in 2006 to receive their MBEs they were attired impeccably in matching cream suits and pink hats.
They were so popular that the Spice Girls once compared themselves to the girl group in the 1990s.
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Babs married a Scottish dentist, James Mitchell, in 1963.
The pair had only been dating for five weeks.
They divorced after four years together, and had no children.
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