UK soul fans will have fond memories of the 1975 hit ‘Fool’ by AL MATTHEWS. Sadly Al has died in Orihuela, (near Alicante) Spain. He passed on 22nd September and he was aged 75. Some reports suggest that he was living in a retirement home; others suggest it was his own home. Spanish authorities are awaiting the outcome of an autopsy before announcing cause of death.
Though born in Brooklyn, Matthews found success as a singer in England – working for labels like CBS, Electric, Polydor and Edge. The one time US marine sergeant (he saw action in Vietnam) was also a well-known movie actor. He appeared in ‘Superman III’ (1983), ‘The Fifth Element ‘(1997) and ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ (1997), but he is best known for playing Sergeant Apone in ‘Aliens’ (1986), the classic James Cameron science fiction sequel to Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien'(1979). Nearly 30 years later, he provided the voice for the same character in the video game ‘Aliens: Colonial Marines’ (2013). Readers of a certain vintage might also recall that Al also appeared in ‘Grange Hill’ and hosted shows on BBC Radio 1. Matthews’ last film role was in ‘The Price of Death’, a new western by director Chip Baker that is currently in post-production.
