Alexander Hurley
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| Alexander (Alec) Hurley | |
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| Born | March 24, 1871 |
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| Died | December 6, 1913 (aged 42) Hampstead, London |
| Cause of death | Stomach cancer |
| Burial place | Tower Hamlets Cemetery, East London |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Music hall singer |
| Spouse | Marie Lloyd |
Alexander (Alec) Hurley (24 March 1871 - 6 December 1913 [1]) was best known for being Marie Lloyd's second husband, though he was also a successful and talented performer in his own right.
He went from working in London's docks as a tea packer to boxing in fairground booths, before moving on to the music hall as a coster singer with the song The Strongest Man In The World. He also sang a song called The Lambeth Walk, though this is not the version later made famous in the musical Me and My Girl.
He was also an early keep-fit fanatic. He listed among his spare time activities sculling, ball punching, going for long walks and jogging on Hampstead Heath.
He met Marie Lloyd in 1901 and went on a tour of Australia with her and several other music hall acts. By the time they returned to England they were definitely an item, and they were married in 1905, shortly after Lloyd's divorce from her first husband, Percy Courteney.
At first their marriage was happy, but relations became increasingly strained when work took them to opposite ends of the country for weeks on end, and Lloyd started drinking heavily and gambling at the races, where she met a jockey called Bernard Dillon, who she moved in with, leaving Alec to tour alone.
Hurley died on December 6, 1913 aged 42, after a short illness, which his friends said was caused by taking to the bottle after Marie broke his heart. He was buried in Tower Hamlets Cemetery in East London [2].
In the 2007 BBC drama Miss Marie Lloyd - Queen of The Music Hall, he was portrayed by actor Matthew Marsh
[edit] References
- ^ GRO REgister of Deaths: DEC 1913 1a 738 HAMPSTEAD Alexander Hurley aged 42
- ^ Tower Hamlets Cemetery, at BBC London accessed 21 Jun 2007
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Hurley, Alexander |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hurley, Alec |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Music hall singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 24, 1871 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 6, 1913 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Hampstead, London |
