Greek singer Demis Roussos, one of music’s most unlikely international superstars, had died aged 68.<br /><br /> Early hits like ‘Rain and Tears’ brought fame with bandmate Vangelis in the progressive rock group Aphrodite’s Child.<br /><br /> Solo success followed in the 1970s and 1980s with songs like ‘Forever and Ever’.<br /><br /> Some mocked his weight, his high-pitched voice and extravagant dress sense but, for fans, Demis Roussos had a magic formula.<br /><br /> “Instinctively I sang songs that are from the Mediterranean area, love songs,” he said in 2002.<br /><br /> “And it proved to be not only successful, but I was the first one to do it and it became like a fashion after that and many other artists did it as well. Julio Iglesias was one of them “.<br /><br /> Roussos, who also made headlines for being caught up in a 1985 hostage drama and for losing a lot of his weight, died of an undisclosed illness in an Athens hospital.
