AUSTRALIAN pop star, actor and TV host Darryl Cotton has lost his battle with liver cancer.

Cotton, 62, died in the early hours of Friday after being diagnosed in May.

Friend and former manager Jeff Joseph says the singer fought his condition bravely.

"He was philosophical from the outset when told of his condition, but was determined to fight it until the very end and maintained a very positive attitude," Mr Joseph said.

A founding member of Australian rock group Zoot in the late '60s, where he played with Beeb Birtles and Rick Springfield among others, Cotton headed to Los Angles when the band broke up.

There he wrote songs for artists including Olivia Newton-John and Shaun Cassidy, before returning to Australia in 1978 to pursue a solo career.

His song Same Old Girl was a top ten hit in 1980 before he ventured into acting with a role on the TV soap The Young Doctors. He went on to co-host Saturday morning children's program The Early Bird Show on Channel Ten in the 1980s.

Cotton's illness brought an outpouring of support from well-wishers internationally.

"Darryl was much loved and highly respected by men and women alike, both in and out of the entertainment industry," Mr Joseph said.

Darryl Cotton leaves a wife Cheryl and two children Amy and Tim.



Originally published as Singer, actor Darryl Cotton dies