It's been a magic few years for pop icon Rick Astley. Not only has he appeared on stage at Glastonbury – singing Smiths covers alongside Stockport Indie rockers, Blossoms, but also with his own hit solo set in 2023.
At the time Rick and his manager were on their way to London to catch a flight to the US. "I developed a fear of flying," Rick previously said - recalling his darkest hour. This is something that has seemingly always been at odds with a pop career that began with signing up with Stock Aitken and Waterman . The songwriters and producers whose repeated successes with various artists was thanks to an assembly line of hits they churned out, one-after-the-other, in the 1980s.Rick was born in Warrington in 1966 and brought up in Newton-le-Willows. His parents split up when he was four and he, his two brothers and sister were brought up by his father.
But he was given his chance after serving his time at the studio, releasing his debut single 'When You Gonna' in 1987. But it was his next single 'Never Gonna Give You Up' that skyrocketed him to success. Despite his decision to quit, Rick's heartbroken fans remained loyal particularly his massive fan-base in the US. In 2003, he married the now renowned Danish film producer, Lene Bausager.