John Miles: 'Music' writer and rock star from Jarrow dies

• Night of the Proms pay tribute to John Miles

John Miles, the Tyneside progressive rock musician, has passed away at the age of 72 after a short illness, his family have announced.

Best known for the 70s ballad 'Music', Miles was born in Jarrow, County Durham in 1949.

He died in his sleep on Sunday 5 December surrounded by his family in hospital in Newcastle.

"He was a loving Husband, Father and Grandfather and we will all miss him more than any words could ever express," his family said in a statement.

The singer released 10 studio albums between 1976 and 1999, alongside many singles including the tracks Highfly, Slowdown, Remember Yesterday and The Right To Sing, which all made the UK singles chart.

He performed regularly at the Night of the Proms concerts in Europe and also received an outstanding contribution prize at the Progressive Rock awards in 2017.

Miles was married to his wife, Eileen, for more than 50 years, and had two children and two grandchildren.

Son John Miles Jnr says his father was "one in a million".

In April 2020 - after over 40 years of music industry success - Miles joined up with the Antwerp Philharmonic "Quarantine" Orchestra to play and "isolated global performance" of 'Music'.