In the 1970s, few frontmen shone brighter than Brian Connolly. With blond hair, swagger, and a powerhouse voice, he led The Sweet through an electrifying run of glam-rock hits — none bigger than “The Ballroom Blitz.” At their peak, the band sold over 50 million records and scored 13 UK Top-20 singles, including the No. 1 “Block Buster!” For a while, it seemed unstoppable.

Born Brian MacManus in Scotland in 1945, he was abandoned as a baby and raised by adoptive parents. Later, he learned he was the half-brother of actor Mark McManus. By the mid-1960s, Connolly was performing in London clubs before co-founding The Sweet, blending pop hooks with hard-rock riffs that defined a generation.

But behind the glitter, cracks appeared. Fame brought pressure and alcohol. “Gradually, it just got out of hand,” he later admitted. By 1979 he’d left the band to go solo, but his singles failed to chart, and his health began to collapse.