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 | | Tuesday, 11 May, 1999, 11:04 GMT 12:04 UK Pellow quits Wet Wet Wet  Popped in, walked out: Pellow (second left) leaves the group Wet Wet Wet singer Marti Pellow has quit the band, it has been confirmed. The 33-year-old singer is expected to start a solo career, after he signed a management deal with Sir Elton John's former agent, John Reid. The group first found success 12 years ago, and scored their biggest hit in 1994 with Love Is All Around, which was at number one for 15 weeks. He hit the headlines earlier this year after he collapsed at a London hotel and checked into a rehabilitation clinic. A spokesman for John Reid said: "He has moved on and signed a solo deal. After 12 very good years with Wet Wet Wet he has decided to go forward." Reid and Sir Elton split last year after a partnership lasting three decades. He is now working with boy band Another Level, who had a number one in 1998 with Freak Me. Following Pellow's recent health scare, the band had been recording a new album - their first material in two years.
Pellow's toothy grin quickly established the band as chart favourites in the late 1980s, when they battled with the trio Bros for teenagers' affections, with hits such as Sweet Little Mystery and the ballad Angel Eyes. But their soulful sound gave them a wider appeal and saw them outlast their rivals. In 1992 they returned to the limelight as adult favourites with the album High On The Happy Side, and the single Goodnight Girl hit number one. In 1994 their cover of The Troggs' Love Is All Around - taken from the soundtrack to Four Weddings And A Funeral - stayed at number one for 15 weeks. The run only ended when the band ordered the single to be withdrawn from sale, one week short of Bryan Adams' 1991 record. They celebrated 10 years in the charts with the album Wet Wet Wet 10 in 1997, but drummer Tommy Cunningham left later that year. In March 1999 Pellow was found unconscious at the Conrad Hotel in Chelsea, London. He later checked into a rehabilitation clinic, and continued working with the rest of the band - Graeme Duffin, Graeme Clark and Neil Mitchell - on a new album. | | See also:  Top Entertainment stories now:  Links to more Entertainment stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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