Yesterday marked the 45th anniversary of the passing of Peter Ham.
On 23rd April 1975, the Welsh singer/songwriter and member of Badfinger committed suicide at Weybridge, Surrey. At the time he was depressed with band-related issues and label and management problems following the band leaving Apple Records (being one of the first bands signed to the label).
Ham's greatest songwriting success came about when his co-written composition "Without You" which quickly became a worldwide number-one hit when it was later covered by Harry Nilsson and released in 1972. The song has since become a standard and has been covered by hundreds of singers. An Ivor Novello award for Song of the Year was issued in 1973 along with Grammy nominations.
On 27 April 2013, an official blue plaque was unveiled by the Swansea City Council to honour Pete Ham in his home town of Swansea. The event was attended by two former members of the original Badfinger band, The Iveys, Ron Griffiths and David Jenkins, plus former Badfinger member Bob Jackson.
