English singer-songwriter and poet Labi Siffre was BOTD in 1945. Born and raised in London, his family was of white British, Afro-Barbadian and British Nigerian heritage. He showed an early interest in music, studying at the Eric Gilder School of Music, writing his first song when he was 18 and performing at jazz clubs in London. In 1964, he began a relationship with Peter Lloyd, who became his life partner. Siffre released six solo albums in the 1970s, blending folk, soul, reggae and funk and addressing political themes including war veterans, homelessness and apartheid. His single Crying Laughing Loving Lying reached No 11 in the UK charts, while his ballad It Must Be Love which became a huge hit for (white) ska band Madness in 1981. After several years of inactivity, he released the song Something Inside So Strong in 1987, inspired by a documentary film about South Africa’s apartheid regime. The song became an anti-apartheid anthem, reaching No 4 in the UK charts and winning an Ivor Novello Award for songwriting. In later life, his work was sampled by artists including Eminem and Kanye West. Siffre and Lloyd remained together for 48 years, entering into a civil partnership in 2005 and opening their relationship to “third husband” Rudolf van Baardwijk in the mid 1990s. After Lloyd’s death in 2013, Siffre and van Baardwijk were married, remaining together until the latter’s death in 2015. Interest in his life and work was revived in the 2022 TV documentary Labi Siffre: This Is My Song. After van Baardwijk’s death, Siffre retired to Spain. His current relationship status is unknown.