Ride a White Swan

This weekend marks the 30th anniversary of the death of singer Marc Bolan. He was killed when his Austin Mini hit a tree in south west London, on 16 September 1977. Bolan was being driven home from a night out by his girlfriend Gloria Jones (above) when he died. Jones - also a singer - recovered from her serious injuries sustained in the accident.

Marc Bolan was the founding member of glam rock group T Rex, who topped the UK charts four times in the 1970's with the singles Hot Love, Get It On, Metal Guru and Telegram Sam.

The singer, whose real name was Mark Feld, was known for his flamboyant hats, feather boas, and wearing lots of glitter.



T Rex scored their last top 20 hit in 1975 with New York City. It famously featured the lyric: "Have you ever seen a woman coming out of New York City with a frog in her hand?"



David Bowie, a very close friend, attended Bolan's funeral. A swan-shaped floral tribute was displayed in memory of the T Rex hit single, Ride a White Swan.





Fun Facts Galore: Mark's girlfriend Gloria Jones recorded the 1964 northern soul classic, "Tainted Love", which became a huge hit for the British synth-pop duo, Soft Cell. She'd also sang backing vocals for Billy Preston, Phil Spector and Dylan. She and Bolan had a son together named Rolan. Rolan Bolan.