Sir Cliff Richard, 82, expressed his condolences on Facebook on Friday following the death of Bill Latham, a friend and former manager with whom he had shared a home for 30 years. The musician credited his late religious studies tutor with helping him discover the “spiritual journey” that revolutionized his life.
He posted an old photo of the pair with American evangelist Billy Graham.
“This time, someone I thought I’d known forever has died and is now living a better life.”
“Many, if not all, of you will recognize who I’m writing about… Latham, William”
“He is the one who lead me along that spiritual path that absolutely and completely changed my life,” Sir Cliff stated.
“He taught me the value of kindness and the importance of having the courage to share my opinions in public.”
“Bill was one of those people you could rely on, and I did.”
Bill would be “greatly missed” and “will live on in the many hearts of those who loved and respected him…my heart being one of them,” said the singer.
“God bless you, Bill,” he said. “Cliff, you earned your peace.”
Cliff recently discussed the length of his career and how his 20-year Christmas calendar “came to an end” in a recent interview.
Earlier this month, the singer spoke with Richard Arnold of Good Morning Britain about his most recent Christmas CD and his yearly calendar, which has been issued every year for the past 20 years.
In the beginning of the talk, Richard questioned Sir Cliff about why it took him so long to release a Christmas record.
“It may get pretty repetitive if you produce Christmas CDs over and over again,” the musician said.
“You’re not only talking about Christmas,” the GMB host observed. The calendar, of course, is a gift that never expires.
“We’ve been doing it for almost 20 years,” Sir Cliff explained.
“Therefore, I believe that this year’s calendar has been photographed by guests of the previous performance.”
“We did hit number one on the calendar the prior year, so we’re crossing our fingers, but it has to come to an end.”
