The Troggs' Reg Presley dead at 71

Reg Presley, lead singer of the influential British garage rock group The Troggs, has died at his home in England after a battle with lung cancer. He was 71.

"He passed away peacefully at home and myself, my brother and our mother were with him. We're absolutely heartbroken," his daughter Karen told the World Entertainment News Network (via Reuters).

The star was diagnosed with cancer in January 2012 and retired from the band shortly thereafter.

"He was one very real person in a sometimes very unreal world," his friend, the music publicist Keith Altham, wrote on Facebook. "Our thoughts are with his wife Brenda and the family and those legion of fans who loved his music and his band. I will miss him hugely."

The Troggs were among the wave of bands to find success in North America during the so-called British invasion of the 1960s. They topped the charts in the U.S. with their 1966 single "Wild Thing," and scored hits with "With A Girl Like You" and "Love Is All Around."

Presley is surived by his wife, son and daughter.

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