The tragic story of '80s duo London Boys is utterly heartbreaking

12 March 2020, 09:42 | Updated: 12 March 2020, 09:46

Watching old repeats of late '80s Top of the Pops episodes always brings back memories of underrated pop stars from the era. One such act on a recent episode was London Boys.

London Boys were a German-based English dance-pop duo, who scored a couple of top five hits in the late '80s.

Seeing the duo perform their number two hit 'London Nights' got us thinking, whatever happened to these two?

The sad fact is, the London Boys suffered perhaps one of the saddest endings in pop music history, with both men dead less than 10 years later.

1. Who were London Boys?

   

   LONDON BOYS - Requiem [ Album Version ]

   London Boys were an English dance-pop duo comprised of Edem Ephraim and Dennis Fuller.

   They lived near Hamburg, Germany, since 1981, but the pair first met when they were at school in Greenwich, London.

   Ephraim was born in London, and Fuller in Jamaica. They formed a duo in 1986 as a way for songwriter and record producer Ralf-René Maué to release material.

   Their musical style was a combination of soul and dance music, or a form of Eurobeat dance music. They were also known for spinning on their heads as part of their choreography.

   They previously had experience as Rollerblade dancers, with Dennis Fuller a former member of the Roxy Rollers rollerskating disco act.

2. What were their biggest songs?

   

   London Boys - London Nights - 1989

   The duo's most famous songs were 'London Nights' and 'Requiem', which were first released in 1988.

   'Requiem' was their breakthrough single in April 1989, reaching No. 4 in the UK. 'London Nights' and the album The Twelve Commandments of Dance, both peaked at No. 2 in the UK singles and album charts.

   'Harlem Desire' reached No. 17, but they didn't reach the top 40 again after this. However, London Boys sold 4.5 million records worldwide in total.

   After being dropped by their record label, the band split up. In 1995, they reformed for a Christian crossover album called Hallelujah Hits.

3. How were London Boys killed?

   Ephraim and Fuller, along with Ephraim's wife Bettina, all tragically died in a car accident on January 21, 1996.

   They were all travelling in the Austrian Alps on a mountain road, on their way to a skiing holiday.

   However, they were met with a car driven by a drunk driver, who was trying to pass on the opposite side of the road. The Swiss driver was reportedly trying to overtake other cars in dangerous places, in bad weather conditions.

   He hit their car head on, killing Fuller, Ephraim, Ephraim's wife Bettina. The Swiss driver also died.

   Ephraim and his wife left behind their son Stevie, who was 3 years old at the time. Fuller also had a daughter, Laura, who was 10.

London Boys were one of the best acts of the late '80s Eurodance movement, and had a big impact on the music world with their fun and passionate performances.