With his trademark coiffed, flicked-back blonde hair, Brian Connoly had become the very image of 1970s glam rock — undoubtedly the face of Sweet.
But his downfall began in 1979, when he left The Sweet to pursue a solo career. By then, he was already struggling with alcohol, which had started to undermine his position in the band.
“Gradually, it just got out of hand. I always said that if I ever wanted to stop, I could—and I suppose I don’t know what would have happened if I had told myself, ‘I’ve had enough,’” Connolly once said.
Despite his loyal fanbase, his solo singles failed to make an impact, and his career never took off the way he had hoped.
Sold his house
In January 1983, he got a small break supporting Pat Benatar for three shows in Birmingham, Newcastle, and London — but financial disaster struck. The band was hit with a massive multimillion-pound tax bill related to their hit records, forcing Connolly to sell his house to pay it off.
Around the same time, his health began to spiral.
In 1981, he was hospitalized with severe bloating, suffered multiple heart attacks, and was left with partial paralysis on his left side — a condition that would later evolve into a chronic nervous system disorder.
Despite his physical struggles, he continued to tour the UK and Europe with his reformed band, the New Sweet, from 1984 onward. But his health kept him from sustaining the demanding schedule. During a 1990 tour in Australia, he was hospitalized for dehydration, and it became clear he could no longer handle the rigors of touring.
Legal battles over The Sweet’s name further drained his finances. Eventually, the two factions split: Brian’s band became Brian Connolly’s Sweet, while guitarist Andy Scott’s group was called Andy Scott’s Sweet.
Connolly kept touring, but the fees were a fraction of what he had earned in his prime, and his health continued to deteriorate.
