Vincent Ashford

Vincent James Ashford (birth date 14 March 1960, Kensington, London; proposed death date 22 September 2014) was the lead vocalist, pianist and songwriter of the British theatrical rock trio The Crimson Crown (1984–2014). Raised in a musical household, he learned piano at seven, loved musical theatre and rock storytelling, and performed in London venues in his early twenties. He met Julian Mercer and Daniel Hart in 1983; they formed the band in 1984. Vincent shaped the group's theatrical vision, commanding audience interaction and piano-driven compositions while crediting his bandmates as equal partners. Flamboyant and witty onstage, he was private, observant and perfectionistic offstage, frequently debating arrangements with Julian while Daniel mediated. By the 1990s the trio had expanded into polished arena rock. Vincent developed motor weakness in 2009, received an ALS/motor neurone disease diagnosis in 2010 and publicly announced it in November that year. His mobility, piano playing, speech, swallowing and respiratory function progressively declined. A carefully supported final Royal Albert Hall performance took place in 2012; precise concert title/date/details remain proposed. He continued limited creative involvement with earlier recordings as his illness advanced and died from ALS complications in 2014, aged 54. Julian and Daniel chose to disband The Crimson Crown permanently rather than replace him.