Who is Roger Whittaker’s wife Natalie O’Brien and did they have any children?
ROGER Whittaker, famous for his 1969 hit song Durham Town and expert whistling, has passed away at the age of 87.
The folk singer sold some 50 million records in the course of a 40-year career.
Who was Roger Whittaker?
Roger was born in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 22, 1936, and his parents were originally from Staffordshire, England.
After a motorbike accident, his father was advised to live in a hot, dry climate to recover from his injuries.
At Nairobi School, then named Prince of Wales, Roger was a member of the choir and gained top grades.
Within three weeks of leaving, Roger was drafted into national service.
He then initially studied medicine at the University of Cape Town, but left his course after 18 months and went in to teaching.
Roger moved to Britain in 1959 and studied zoology, biochemistry, and marine biology at Bangor University.
While there, he also composed songs for the university Rag Week show with “The Charge Of The Light Brigade” becoming his first single.
His next release, Steel Men, made it into the charts while he was still a student.
After university he had his first major breakthrough when he was signed to appear on an Ulster Television show called “This And That”.
Who is Roger Whittaker’s wife Natalie O’Brien?
In the spring of 1964, Roger met Natalie O’Brien, who was the secretary of a music producer.
Natalie was born on August 9, 1941, and her father spearheaded Britain’s efforts to counter Nazi Germany‘s propaganda during World War II.
Roger and Natalie were married on August 15 after a mere three month’s courtship.
She has been his manager since 1989 and they retired together in France in 2012.
Did Roger and Natalie have any children?
The pair were unable to have children in the early years of their marriage so adopted two girls Emily and Lauren.
Later on, they welcomed their three biological children Jessica, Guy and Alexander.
The couple are grandparents of twelve and their youngest daughter Jessica followed in her father’s musical footsteps.
She performed a duet on his singles “A Perfect Day” and “Do You Still Believe In Miracles”.