Tom Watkins death: Pet Shop Boys, Bros and East 17 manager dies aged 70

Watkins had suffered from numerous health issues in recent years, including strokes, a liver transplant and diabetes

Tom Watkins in 1994 (Rex Features)

Tom Watkins, the music manager who worked with Pet Shop Boys and Bros, has died aged 70.

His friends confirmed to The Guardian that he died on 24 February, and his funeral took place on 10 March.

Watkins' cause of death was not confirmed, but he had suffered from numerous health issues in recent years, including strokes, a liver transplant and diabetes.

In the 1980s and 1990s Watkins was the manager of pop bands such as Pet Shop Boys, Bros and East 17. He helped Pet Shop Boys forge their success in the band's early years and co-wrote Bros' most popular hits "When Will I Be Famous?", "Drop the Boy" and "I Owe You Nothing".

The manager's relationships with both groups were occasionally troubled, with Bros singer-songwriter Matt Goss saying in 2017 that “there was a compassion that was lacking” in Watkins. He also said of their contract: “We ended up with nothing, less than nothing.”

Watkins, meanwhile, once said the Pet Shop Boys "developed super-egos and tried to make out that I had nothing to do with their success, which is bulls***".

He also managed other artists such as glam rock bands Ice Cream and Giggles, and pop groups Deuce, North and South and Electribe 101.

Watkins has been described by Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant as "a big man with a loud voice" and by EMI's David Munns as "an unstoppable creative powerhouse".

In 2016, Watkins released his autobiography, Let's Make Lots of Money: Secrets of a Rich, Fat, Gay, Lucky Bastard.

Watkins is survived by his partner Marc.​