Died On This Date (February 28, 2008) Mike Smith / Dave Clark Five
Mike Smith
December 6, 1943 – February 28, 2008
Mike Smith was the lead singer of the Dave Clark Five, the second British Invasion group to hit U.S. shores during the early ’60s. They would be the only competition for the Beatles until the Rolling Stones reared their ugly head and music lovers suddenly saw a whole new side to British pop music. After the Dave Clark Five disbanded in 1970, Smith continued to record and produce throughout the eighties and nineties and then enjoyed modest success on the oldies circuit through the early years of the 21st century. In 2003, Smith seriously injured his spinal cord in a fall at his home. The fall left him paralyzed from the waist down and in his arms. He passed away from complications of that fall in 2008, just two weeks shy of being inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Dave Clark Five.