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Adam Faith

Terence (Terry) Nelhams-Wright, known as Adam Faith (June 23, 1940, London — March 8, 2003, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) was an English singer, actor and financial journalist. He was born at 4 Churchfield Road, East Acton, west London, and was unaware that his real surname was Nelhams-Wright until he applied for a passport and obtained his birth certificate. He was known as Terry Nelhams in early life.

Adam Faith was one of Britain's most significant early pop stars. His first hit "What Do You Want", came in 1959 and hit number one on the UK Singles Chart, and with subsequent songs like "Poor Me" (another chart topper),"Someone Else's Baby" (a UK #2)and "Don't That Beat All" he established himself as a serious rival to Cliff Richard in British pop music. His style and looks were in complete contrast to Cliff's, offering a real alternative for the teenage market. Like most contemporary pop singers, he did not write his own material, and much of his early success was attributable to his partnership with John Barry and songwriter Les Vandyke whose arrangements were inspired by Don Costa's pizzicato arrangements for Buddy Holly's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore". He gave a credible account of himself on the TV interview series Face to Face with John Freeman in December 1960.

Faith's brand of sometimes rather twee pop ("Lonely Pup (In a Christmas Shop)") became less popular through the 1960s in the face of competition from groups like The Beatles, and he began an alternative career as an actor. While still a musician he had appeared in films such as Beat Girl (1961), but now he concentrated on acting in the theatre. In the 1970s, he went into music management, notably managing Leo Sayer among others.

He starred as the eponymous "hero" in the 1970s television series Budgie, about an ex-convict, but after a car accident as a result of which he almost lost a leg, his career suffered something of a decline. It restarted in 1975 when he landed a major role as the manipulative manager of rock star David Essex in the film 'Stardust'. In the early 1990s, Faith had another hit TV series in Love Hurts co-starring with Zoe Wanamaker.

In the 1980s, Adam Faith's interests moved from show business to finance, and he became an astute financial investments advisor. In 1986, he was hired as a financial journalist, by the Daily Mail and its sister paper the Mail on Sunday. He also had an involvement with the television Money Channel. But the channel proved to be an unsuccessful venture and closed down in 2001. Adam Faith was declared bankrupt owing a reported £32 million.

He had had heart problems since 1986 when he underwent open heart surgery. He became ill after his stage performance in Stoke-on-Trent on the Friday evening, and died in hospital of a heart attack early on Saturday morning, March 8, 2003.

At the time of his death, much of the British tabloid press revelled in reporting his apparent last words; these being a comment on British television channel, five: "Channel 5 is all shit, isn't it? Christ, the crap they put on there. It's a waste of space". Although it is not certain that these were his actual last words, it has become a popular urban myth in recent years.^[1]

Michael Caine (born Maurice Micklewhite) said that his mother worked with Adam's mother in their early days, but because each, of course, referred to her son by his real name, they never made the connection to each other's already well-known offspring.

1. ^ The Guardian Famous last words: Adam Faith joins those who did it in style 13 May 2003

• Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X
• The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits - ISBN 0-85112-250-7

• All Music Guide entry
• Adam Faith site