The death has been announced of Nick Kamen, the British model and singer best known for his starring role in the iconic 1985 Levi's laundrette advert and his 1986 hit Each Time You Break My Heart. He was 59.
Nick Kamen on Nov. 2, 1987.
He was best known for a Levi s ad and the Madonna co-written Each Time You Break My Heart.
Nick Kamen, the British model-singer best known for an iconic 1985 Levi s ad and his Madonna co-written 1987 hit Each Time You Break My Heart, has died at age 59. According to
BBC News, a friend of the Kamen family confirmed his death on Tuesday (May 4) after a long, undisclosed illness; at press time no cause of death had been announced.
Kamen, born Ivor Neville Kamen in Essex, England, in 1962, blew up in 1985 when he appeared in a beloved Levi s commercial in which the ripped model stripped down to his boxer shorts as women lustily looked on. The ad, cued to Marvin Gaye s 1967 version of I Heard It Through the Grapevine, helped make Kamen a sex symbol and earned him the attention of Madonna.
Kamen – who worked with Ray Petri and Madonna – has died, aged 59
May 05, 2021
Nick Kamen, the model and musician, who is best known for his association with Buffalo – a collective who set the agenda in fashion in the 1980s – has died aged 59.
One of eight children, Ivor Neville Kamen was born in 1962 in Harlow, Essex. He and his siblings were of mixed Burmese, Irish, Dutch and English heritage – something one of his brothers, Barry, once described as “a total product of colonialism”. In his teens, Kamen was introduced to Ray Petri – the creator of Buffalo – through Barry and quickly, the pair became the stylist’s model muses, appearing in many of his shoots throughout the 80s. Perhaps the most famous of these was for
I Heard It Through the Grapevine.
He later collaborated with Madonna on the song
Each Time You Break My Heart in 1986, his debut single. The song was written by Madonna, who has been quoted as saying she was drawn to his charisma and beautiful voice .
In 1988, he collaborated with Madonna once again, for the song
Tell Me, which she provided backing vocals for.
At the time of writing, Madonna was yet to pay tribute to Kamen, but actress Susie Cave shared a photo of Kamen on her Instagram, writing, “RIP Nick Kamen my sweet friend.” So so sad to hear of the passing of Nick Kamen. One of the loveliest and gentlest men I ever met. He was a beloved friend to my daughter and her Mom. We shall all miss him. RIP Nick - JT pic.twitter.com/VZGzS3Rq2t Duran Duran (@duranduran)