NAAS, IRELAND – JULY 29: Dennis Locorriere of Dr Hook performs on stage during Punchestown Music Festival at Punchestown Racecourse on July 29, 2017 in Naas, Ireland. (Photo by Debbie Hickey/Getty Images)
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Dennis Locorriere, who sang lead vocals on several Dr. Hook classics including “Only Sixteen,” “A Little Bit More” and “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman,” has died.
Locorriere’s management announced in a statement on Sunday that the singer-songwriter-musician died on Saturday of kidney disease. He was 76.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dennis Locorriere, who, after a long and courageous battle with kidney disease, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones on May 16, 2026,” the statement reads on the band’s website. “Dennis faced his illness with remarkable strength, dignity, and resilience throughout, and remained deeply cherished by all who knew him.
“He will be remembered for his warmth, love, and the lasting impact he had on those around him.”
No information was given about where Locorriere was at the time of his death. The Independent reported that the performer had lived in the U.K. for the past 24 years.
Born Dennis Michael Locorriere on June 13, 1949, in Union City, N.J., the musician helped form what was first known as Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show in 1968. The group’s name was shortened to Dr. Hook in 1975.
Dr. Hook Had Several Big Hits In 1970s
Dennis Locorriere, along with original bandmates Ray Sawyer, George Cummings Jr. and Billy Francis, found success in 1972 with the hit “Sylvia’s Mother,” which was followed by “The Cover of the Rolling Stone” in 1973, and “Only Sixteen” and “A Little Bit More” in 1976.
Dr. Hook’s other big hits in the 1970s included 1978’s “Sharing the Night Together” and 1979’s “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman,” before they began the next decade with such hit tunes as “Sexy Eyes” (1980) and “Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk” (1982).
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – APRIL: Ray Sawyer and Dennis Locorriere of the American group Dr Hook pose together in April 1974 in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo by Jorgen Angel/Redferns)
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While some of the band’s hits were covers of other successful artists — “Only Sixteen” is a cover of singer-songwriter Sam Cooke’s 1959 hit — others were original tunes, some of which were penned by famed author Shel Silverstein.
As a songwriter, Locorriere penned tunes for the likes of Olivia Newton-John, Willie Nelson, Crystal Gayle and Bob Dylan.
While Locorriere sang lead on several Dr. Hook songs, Ray Sawyer, who largely sang harmonies, took the lead on such hits as “The Cover of the Rolling Stone.”
Sawyer, whose stage presence was amplified by the eyepatch he wore after losing an eye in a car accident 1967, died in December 2018 at 81. Cummings Jr. died in December 2024 at 86 and Francis died in May 2010 at 68.