Brian Connolly: the glitter, the grit, and the price of being Sweet

In the 1970s, few frontmen burned brighter than Brian Connolly. With blond hair, a mischievous grin, and a voice made for detonating choruses, he led The Sweet through global hits like “The Ballroom Blitz.” The numbers dazzled: 50 million records, 39 worldwide hits, 13 UK Top-20 singles, and a No. 1 with “Block Buster!” For a while, life looked unstoppable.

But the story that began under glam’s lights ended in quiet hospital rooms—a harder ending many never saw.

Born Brian MacManus in Scotland in 1945, he was abandoned as an infant and raised by foster parents. He later learned he was half-brother to actor Mark McManus. By the mid-’60s he was gigging across the UK; soon after, he co-founded The Sweet. With Andy Scott, Steve Priest, and Mick Tucker, Connolly’s charisma turned glitter-rock into spectacle.

Success came fast. “We moved into the millionaire status,” Scott recalled. But behind the hits, alcohol crept in. By 1979, Connolly left the band. “Gradually, it just got out of hand,” he admitted. His solo singles failed, and in 1981 he suffered heart attacks that left lasting nerve damage. A crushing tax bill forced him to sell his home.

Still, he kept touring, fronting Brian Connolly’s Sweet while Scott led another lineup. The gigs were smaller, the toll heavier. In 1990, dehydration landed him in an Australian hospital.

In 1995, he released Let’s Go. That year his partner Jean gave birth to their son. A TV documentary soon showed him candidly—counting heart attacks, battling frailty, but still chasing music.

His final show came in December 1996. Weeks later, on February 9, 1997, Connolly died of kidney and liver failure, compounded by heart attacks. He was 51.

Today, “The Ballroom Blitz” still carries his feral whoop and wink—a reminder of a frontman both irresistible and unforgettable.