Des O’Connor
Des O’Connor
Desmond “Des” O'Connor (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter. He recorded a total of 36 albums and had four top-ten UK singles, including the number-one hit single “I Pretend”, which sold over 16 million copies worldwide.
O'Connor entered the show-biz world in the 1950s, and prior to his break on television, he would perform professionally on stages as a singer and a comedian. He was also paid to host variety shows, which set him up for a success when he became a talk-show host a few years later (The Des O'Connor Show, Des O'Connor Tonight, and more).
In 1958, when Buddy Holly toured the UK, Des O'Connor was paid £100 per week to be the show’s compère.
Albums