Former Santana Singer Alex Ligertwood Dead at 79

Alex Ligertwood, who sang for Santana across many years, has died.

The news was announced by his wife and agent, Shawn Brogan.

«Alex passed peacefully in his sleep with his doggy Bobo by his side yesterday,» she wrote on social media. «Alex was loved by so many. If you knew him, you loved him. He touched so many with his extraordinary voice. He was all heart and soul. His favorite thing in life was to make music, sing and to share his gift with us. He performed his last show just two weeks ago. I’m grateful for that. He did it his way, on his terms, till the end. I will always love you, my sweet Alex.»

Ligertwood was 79 years old.

Alex Ligertwood’s Time With Santana

Ligertwood was born in Glasgow, Scotland. When he was young, he took up guitar and sang in multiple local skiffle groups, eventually working his way up through the ranks and landing jobs with the Jeff Beck Group and Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express.

His most famous collaboration was with Santana, singing for them during five different stints from 1979 to 1994. That included when Santana appeared at the US Festival in 1982 and Live Aid in 1985. He sang lead on songs like «All I Ever Wanted,» «You Know That I Love You» and «Hold On,» and he was also credited as a cowriter on tracks like «Brightest Star,» «Make Somebody Happy,» «Somewhere in Heaven» and others.

Listen to Santana’s ‘All I Ever Wanted’

«My idea of a vocalist is that he’s a musician; his voice is his instrument,» Ligertwood said to spinterview.com in 2024. «And every song should have its own thing. Just like you can change the tones on a guitar, I can change the tone on my voice, and sing the song the way it should be. I’m really into that, and using my voice as much as possible.»

«In all my years of music,» Brian Auger, namesake of Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express, said on Facebook following the news of Ligertwood’s passing. «I never heard anyone who possessed that kind of range or that effortless, carefree ability to soar through a melody. He didn’t just sing songs; he lived them. The world feels much quieter today without his voice, and I will miss my friend more than words can say. The big band in the sky just got infinitely better with Alex’s arrival.»