Hull's Musical Heritage - David Whitfield 1 | Page 7

His untimely death in January 1980,
robbed the music industry of one
of it’s earliest stars, but his music
lives on in recordings, early video
footage and photos from around
the world.

A rare colour promotional photo taken of
David Whitfield

It was on one of these tours, that
David became unwell. On 15
January 1980, during his 13th tour
of Australia, that he suffered a
cerebral haemorrage. David was
transferred to the Royal North
Shore Hospital in Sydney, where on
admission he fell into a coma and
was pronounced dead just over 2
hours after he was admitted into
hospital.
He was cremated at the Northern
Suburbs Crematorium in Sydney,
and his ashes were then returned
back to Hull. David’s ashes were
carried on the frigate HMS Sirius
out into the North Sea, and
scattered at a point 5 miles southwest of Spurn Point.
Looking back over David’s career,
there were high and low points, but
his legacy is that of a major
recording artist, who entertained
and wowed audiences all across the
globe. The release of Cara Mia, and
it’s run of 10 consecutive weeks at
Number 1 is something that any
artiste would be proud of. This feat
has not equalled or beaten since
Rhianna achieved it in 2007.

He is remembered in his home city
of Hull, by a statue that sits proudly
in Kingston Square, just outside the
Hull New Theatre. The statue
features David in a pose in front
of a microphone, a [XY