Sad News: Mick Jagger pays tribute to Cleo Sylvestre – Grange Hill star who was first female vocalist to sing with the Rolling Stones
Cleo Sylvester, whom Jagger called “the first female to ever sing with the stones”, has passed away and leaving the Rolling Stones’ front row Mick Jagger ‘so sad’ according to his own words.
Cleo was also known as Cleopatra Palmer and she was active in film, stage, television and music from the 1960s. On Friday morning, Fulcrum Talent announced that she passed away at the age of 79.
The look- back star on screen and stage was known on Cross Roads as Meg Richardson’s adoptive daughter Melanie Harper from ITV and sang as Cleo along with the Rolling Stones in the cover of To Know Him Is to Love Him in the year 1964.
Mick Jagger mentioned in an Instagram story: I am sad to learn that my longtime friend who was an actress and a singer Cleo Sylvestre who was the first female to ever sing with the Stones has passed on.
The 81 year old also shared black and white photo of Sylvester with the band.
In the PBS interview with Masterpiece, she cared to share that her rock star mother would accompany her in Joe’s bands and even cook for their guests.
“Uh, you know, the Stones were always about, especially Brian and Mick.” she recalled.
“Crammed into a council flat with a shoebox of a kitchen and meals for 15 would be conjured up.”
Posting on the site X, The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) said: “It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of Cleo Sylvestre who was cast as Audrey in our As You Like It production last year.”
“Cleo’s family and friends are in our thoughts during this difficult time.”
Theatre At The Tabard which is based in Chiswick, west London where umet the actress last year for an “amazing sold-out blues night” said it was “saddened to hear of the passing” of Sylvestre.
Bonnie Greer, an American playwright and author, shared her sentiments on X where she mentioned Sylvestre as, “one of the reasons that made me from New York City appreciate that this country has the best anglophone theate and being a black woman in it is even better.”
Moreover, she stated, “I believe that is still the case. Thank you, Cleo!”
