The Soft Cell star Marc Almond was said to be in a stable condition in an East London hospital today after suffering severe injuries in a motorcycle crash yesterday afternoon.

But officials at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel said they could not give any more details about the singer's health or treatment without the consent of his family.

"We've confirmed everything that the family has given us consent to confirm, beyond that we can't really comment," a spokeswoman said.

Almond, 45, whose 1981 hit Tainted Love reached No 1 in the charts, was a pillion passenger on a Suzuki motorbike that collided with a Vauxhall car in the City yesterday evening.

The motorcyclist, who was not named, also suffered serious injuries although they were not life threatening. The car driver was not hurt.

Mr Almond was taken to the Royal London Hospital in East London where he underwent surgery to his head and neck. He was in intensive care last night, with his condition listed as critical.

A man who saw the accident said: "There was an almighty bang as the bike crashed with the car. The motorcyclist and passenger were thrown off into the air and landed in the road. There was blood everywhere.

"I heard someone say it was Marc Almond, he looked like he had done a lot of damage to his head. The paramedics were with him for a long time, he was unconscious. They took off his helmet, kept checking him over and then took him off in an ambulance."

A spokesman for the City of London Police said that the accident was being investigated.

Soft Cell were one of the biggest bands in the Eighties with six Top 20 hits from 1980 to 1984. The duo has sold more than ten million albums. Their bestselling singles included Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, Torch, Bedsitter and Tainted Love — a cover of a song by Northern Soul.

The single made Almond and Dave Ball, the other half of Soft Cell, overnight stars. Their album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, is regarded by many critics as a classic.

After the band split up in 1984 Almond launched a successful solo career and had a hit with Gene Pitney when the pair sang the 1967 classic Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart. The group re-formed in 2001 and went on a sell-out national tour.

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