Chas Hodges of the duo Chas and Dave (David Peacock) has died, aged 74.

According to the duo's official Twitter account, the singer recently received treatment for oesophageal cancer, "but died peacefully in his sleep in the early hours" of Saturday, September 22.  The statement on Chas and Dave's Twitter page read: "It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of our very own Chas Hodges." It said the pianist and vocalist had died from organ failure.

The duo was known for their rockney (rock and cockney) style, which they felt was an alternative to the way British bands copied American accents. Chas told the Lancashire Evening Post in 2008: "I was singing in an American accent. I thought, 'You're being a fraud, you should sing in your own accent', and that's when I started to work on the idea."

Chas & Dave strongly identified with London's blue collar and working class pub sing-song culture. Their 1979 single Gertcha was used as the music behind a notable television commercial for Courage Bitter. Their 1980 single Rabbit comes from the Cockney rhyming slang rabbit and pork meaning talk.

In 1985, Chas & Dave recorded the theme song to the BBC sitcom In Sickness and in Health. According to the Lancashire Evening Post, Chas & Dave had previously been offered the chance to record the theme song for the legendary BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses, but turned it down

It was announced in September 2009 that the pair would no longer be working together as Peacock planned to retire from the band following the death of his wife Sue, according to the BBC. However, In June 2010, it was announced that Chas & Dave would reunite for one final tour in 2011. But they would come back for their "Back By Demand" tour of the UK between February and May 2013.

They last performed together August 30, 2015, on the main stage at the Sunshine Festival in Upton-Upon-Severn