This from John Barrow, Michael's agent -

Hi

I'm writing this message to my email address book since many of you had the good fortune to book Michael Marra to play at your events, many others no doubt had been able to get to see him perform while others had perhaps reviewed his shows.

So, if you've heard on the grapevine that Michael has just died I'm unfortunately able to confirm that all the rumours swirling around about this are correct. I am very sorry indeed to have to report that Michael Marra died at about 11:30pm last night, Tuesday 23 October 2012.

He had just completed a course of chemotherapy to combat lung cancer and had been in hospital recovering from a chest infection/pneumonia. The last I heard on Monday morning was that he had been much better over last weekend.

The success of the chemotherapy was to be assessed soon and had been postponed as a result of the infection. Sadly that is now academic.

It sounds as if, from what his wife says in a brief text message just received, he was at home with family when he died and that his death was not anticipated and quite sudden.

No details about funeral yet.

We have just lost one of the really great Scottish songwriters who was also a good and thoroughly decent bloke. What more can I say.

Cheers

jb

Hearing of the death of two good friends within a few hours of one another has come very hard.
Michael Marra was an outstanding songwriter and deserved even more recognition that he received. We never missed an opportunity to book him when he was making the long trip down from Tayside to perform in the south of England.
Here he is concentrating on his keyboards as singing on one of many visits to play at the Royal Oak in Lewes. This was taken on 24th September 2009