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A legend from Liverpool’s music scene died in hospital after a weeks-long battle with the serious Covid-19.
Hambi Haralambous, founder of the Motor Museum Studio on Lark Lane, which has hosted bands like Oasis and Arctic Monkeys, succumbed to the coronavirus last night.
His death caused great grief from friends and colleagues who revered him as a creative force in the city, not just in music but in his later career as a film director, producer, and visual artist.
Hambi was also the frontman of the popular synth band Hambi & The Dance in the early 1980s, which they signed to Virgin Records, before moving on to record and manage for other artists, and then retrain in film.
The father of four had been ill for several weeks before his death, but managed to post an alarming photo to his Facebook page on September 27, showing him in his hospital bed equipped with a bubble-shaped helmet connected to a supply of oxygen. .
The image was captioned with a simple warning: “To all my Facebook friends who think Covid is a hoax. Think again.”
Close friend and collaborator Andy McCluskey, lead singer of Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, told ECHO: “I honestly feel like my soul has been ripped out.”
McCluskey said he planned to have lunch with Hambi a few weeks before going to the hospital, but an upcoming gig meant he was too busy to meet up.
He said: “We have been friends and creative partners musically and visually for many years.
“Whatever, he has. He was relentlessly positive, that was the amazing thing about him. He took a lot of hits in his life and he didn’t always have it easy, but he always came back stronger with a good idea.
“He was also very supportive.
“There would be times when I would feel a bit insecure or wobble a bit, but he always said that he trusts the people you work with.
“If someone needs your support, values what they do and always invests in people, that was his mantra.
“I’m numb today to be honest.”
McCluskey said that Hambi, who was his wife Lesley’s grandfather and husband, had been ill for several weeks, but many of his friends felt he would cope.
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
He said: “I had been in and out of ICU for several weeks, and I had a very, very bad case of covid.”
“I had a case at a very similar time, but I was only sick for two days, I just didn’t feel 100%. It just shows how much this disease is.”
Other well-known figures from Liverpool’s creative scene shared their memories and grief at the news of Hambi’s death.
Photographer Francesco Mellina, known for his work with bands like The Clash, posted on Facebook: “Right now my heart hurts.
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“My oldest friend, Hambi Haralambous, was abducted by the dreaded Covid-19. I can’t understand it. It seemed like he was on the road to recovery. Sadly, that was not how it turned out.
“Hambi, he was one of my first friends when I came to Liverpool. We became very good friends and our shared love of music, art and culture culminated in the creation of a record label and helping local musicians over the years 80.
“We had our disagreement, who didn’t, but I always admired his tenacity and drive to make things happen.”
“It is difficult for me, right now, to think that I will never see him and chat with him again. I will miss you brother. REST IN PEACE HAMBI.
“My condolences to Lesley and her children.”
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Liverpool band The Real People posted: “Hambi helped run The Real People in the mid to late 1990s and it was at Hambi’s Pink Motor Museum Studios in Lark Lane that The Realies recorded some of their most popular songs and albums. acquaintances, in particular ‘What’s On The Outside’.
“Hambi had been hospitalized for COVID-19 and in his last Facebook post from his hospital bed, Hambi warned his friends that COVID-19 was not a hoax and that everyone should start to be more careful about the pandemic.
“That really typified Hambi, that even when he was fighting for his own life he thought of his friends.”
However, Hambi’s work will live on.
McCluskey said OMD will be touring next year and its schedule will include screenings of films created by Hambi more than a decade ago.
Hambi was known as an advocate for good causes, including black rights, and made several documentaries.
McCluskey added: “Right now, I am very sad for his family and I am very sad for the city. He has lost someone who did many wonderful things.”
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