Barby Kelly was only 45 years old. In contrast to most of her siblings, she lived a very withdrawn life; practically nothing had been heard from her for 20 years. That should have just changed: Joey Kelly didn’t have until the end of November 2020 set up an Instagram account for his sister. She is also said to have sung parts for the “25 Years Later” anniversary album (2019).
Fans mourn the loss of Kelly Family member Barby. The musician died at the age of 45, as the German press agency reported on Tuesday. “Our beloved sister Barby passed away a few days ago after a short illness,” wrote the Kelly Family on the band’s Instagram account.
“We will miss Barby infinitely and always carry her in our hearts,” the message continued. Her two siblings Patricia Kelly and John Kelly also published the statement on their profiles.
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Accordingly, Barby died on April 15th. It is not known what illness she suffered from. As a young woman she played percussion and guitar in the group, but withdrew from the public a few years ago.
To this day she has a loyal fan base as part of the legendary family of musicians. Numerous fans expressed their condolences on social media on Tuesday. The posts on Facebook and Instagram were commented on thousands of times. The Kelly Family was one of the most successful family bands of all time.
The Kelly Family enjoyed huge success in the 1990s
The Irish-American musicians started their careers in 1975 with street concerts all over Europe. In 1994 they made their big breakthrough with the album “Over the Hump”. The siblings Angelo, Paddy, Patricia, Maite, Kathy, Barby, John, Jimmy and Joey became stars.
The Kelly Family celebrated huge successes in Germany and other European countries in the 1990s. According to their own statements, they sold more than 20 million records worldwide.
Over the years the line-up changed gradually, and the group continued to exist in varying constellations. Individual members pursue solo careers. In October 2019, “25 Years Later” was the band’s last album for the time being. Barby Kelly has not been in public for a long time, but was still partly involved in the Kelly Family albums.
After a break of several years, six family members started a comeback in 2017. “Barbie has withdrawn from the public for ages,” Sister Patricia said at the time. “She never wants and will never be on stage again.” On the album “We Got Love”, which was released in 2017, she took part and contributed vocal passages. She wants to “just be able to lead a normal life,” said Patricia Kelly in an interview at the time.
