My heart is heavy: Sheila pays tribute to her friend Alex Ligertwood, former singer of the group Santana who died at 79

She is one of the French people’s favorite artists. In over 60 years of career, Sheila has managed to reinvent herself constantly, crossing time periods. This longevity makes her a true icon of popular music. Even at 80 years old, the singer is not ready to retire yet. After a triumphant tour celebrating 60 years of her career across France, Belgium, and Switzerland, she is currently presenting her new show which celebrates a life of hit songs. Sheila has transitioned from yé-yé to disco, from pop to rock, with no less than 27 albums selling over 85 million copies.

This success is a triumph for someone who was once prohibited from performing on stage in the beginning of her career. “I worked with someone who was a record seller and it was not in his interest. I had a very short health problem and after that, he used it to make me only do records. The era of idols, I did not experience it as I should have lived it. I spent years trying to convince people because I was considered ‘the lip-sync singer’,” she explained to Emilie Mazoyer in the “Décibels” show broadcasted on France 2.

Sheila announces the passing of her friend Alex Ligertwood, former singer of the group Santana. On Monday, May 4, Sheila paid tribute to one of her close associates on her Instagram account. She was saddened by the loss of Scottish singer and guitarist Alex Ligertwood, mainly known for being part of the Santana group along with guitar legend Carlos Santana. “It is with immense sadness and a broken heart that I announce the passing of my dear and sweet Alex Ligertwood, my husband of 25 years, whom I have known for 36 years,” Shawn Brogan declared on Facebook. She mentioned that the singer passed away peacefully in his sleep, two weeks after his last concert.

This news did not fail to move Sheila. “It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of my friend Alex Ligertwood, the former singer of Santana. He has joined Keith Olsen, who left before him,” the singer wrote on Instagram. “My American team is diminishing… Only Jason Scheff is left. Alex did the hearts on tracks from the album ‘Venue d’ailleurs.’ I have kept a secret song that he wrote for me and that I will share with you one day. My heart is heavy, thinking of him… I miss him already,” she continued.

Sheila pays a touching tribute to her deceased son. On April 7, Sheila also honored her son Ludovic Chancel, who passed away on July 7, 2017. April 7 is an important date for the singer, as it corresponds to her son’s birthday. “April 7… ‘the most beautiful of my days’,” she wrote on Instagram to accompany a black and white photo of her taking care of her son when he was still a baby. A touching tribute.