1980s music icon Paul Hardcastle has shared the heartbreaking news that his son, Paul Hardcastle Jnr, has died in a motorbike accident at the age of 35.
Hardcastle announced the tragic news in an Instagram post last night.
Sharing a picture of his son as a boy, the composer and record producer wrote: “Just to let you know that my super talented son Paul Hardcastle Jnr was in a fatal motorcycle accident earlier and has sadly died. RIP son love Dad.”
Who was Paul Hardcastle Jnr? What happened to him, and how did his father find fame in the 1980s? Read on to find out.
Who was Paul Hardcastle Jnr?
Paul Hardcastle was a successful musician in his own right, following in his father’s footsteps, playing the saxophone and DJing.
Paul Hardcastle Jnr
Instagram/paul_hardcastle_junior
According to his website, Paul Hardcastle Jnr is a Billboard chart-topping and Grammy-nominated saxophonist who has enjoyed a successful career in commercial recording, music production and song writing.
He began his career aged just 16, performing his first professional shows as a saxophonist at celebrity parties, corporate launches, super-clubs, nightclubs, functions and bars across the UK.
Specialising in the smooth jazz, soul, house & chill-out genres, Hardcastle Jnr got his international breakthrough in 2010 when he co-wrote, recorded, and performed his debut single, Touch and Go.
Paul Hardcastle Jnr
instagram/paul_hardcastle_junior
Produced by his father, it reached number one in the USA Billboard Jazz Chart.
He performed all over the world, in places such as Dubai, The Maldives, The Seychelles, Monaco, Spain, Italy, and Greece.
Tragically, Hardcastle Jnr died in a motorbike accident, as confirmed by his father’s Instagram page.
In response to the post, Hardcastle Snr was flooded with messages of support from friends and fans.
S Club singer Jo O’Meara wrote: “Oh Paul I’m so so sorry for your loss!! Sending you and the family love and strength and this sad time”, while former TOWIE star James Argent posted: “I’m so sorry mate, thinking of you all. Heartbreaking.”
Presenter Hayley Palmer added: “Paul, I don’t even have the words – I am so so sorry to hear this. Heartbreaking. Am thinking of you Paul xx”
In a tragic twist, Hardcastle Snr has previously revealed that he once dreamt of becoming a motorbike racer, before he was hospitalised for four months after a serious accident.
Paul Hardcastle speaking on Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Speaking to Steve Denyer on My 80s Playlist in 2024, Hardcastle Snr said: “I came out, I had compound fractures on my femur, my tibia, and fibula.
“Half of it was my fault, because I was going too fast, but someone pulled out as well.”
Hardcastle Snr, 68, was a huge star in the 1980s, hitting number one in the UK Singles Chart with his song 19 in 1985.
The song, about the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War and the effect it had on the soldiers who served, also topped the charts in 12 other countries.
A prolific electronic producer, keyboardist and composer, Hardcastle Snr created the hit in his parents’ living room in Leytonstone, and he was backed by Simon Fuller, who quit his record company job to be his manager.
He had begun his music career in 1981, joining the soul band Direct Drive as a keyboard player, before he left to pursue a solo career, finding success with singles including Just for Money, Don’t Waste My Time and The Wizard.
Since the 1990s, he has released several synth jazz albums, under his real name as well as the pseudonyms Kiss the Sky and the Jazzmasters.
Hardcastle Snr married Dolores Baker in 1985, with Fuller as his best man, and the couple had three children, including Paul Jnr and singer Maxine Hardcastle.