The hit 80s pop star Alison Moyet, formerly known as Alf, has issued a heartbreaking tribute following the death of a beloved family member. On Wednesday (January 28), the 64-year-old singer-songwriter took to X - formerly known as Twitter - to announce the passing of her father-in-law, Peter Ballard. In the emotional post, she revealed that the former councillor passed away on Christmas Day, but didn't reveal his cause of death.

She penned: "Yesterday we bid farewell to my father-in-law Peter Ballard, ex-councillor and leader of Basildon District Council, who left us on Christmas Day and will be sorely missed. A fine man and good, to his last given hour."

It didn't take long before her loyal legion of fans flocked to the comments to pass on their sympathies to the family online. One user penned: "May he rest in peace [prayer emoji]" as another agreed: "May he rest well".

A third echoed: "Sending love to you and your family. Public service often isn't recognised, and I'm sure Peter made a huge difference to thousands of people. May his memory be a blessing."

A fourth chimed in with: "I'm sorry for your loss!!! Physically, our loved ones may go, but not in our hearts. And I'm sure you all have wide and open hearts! My thoughts are with you."

Moyet shot to stardom back in 1982 at the age of 20 with the synth-pop duo Yazoo and went on to produce hits such as Only You, Don't Go, Situation, and Nobody's Diary.

Three years later, she performed at Live Aid alongside Paul Young before returning to the stage alongside Bob Geldof, David Bowie, and Pete Townshend for their rendition of Let It Be when Paul McCartney's piano mic failed.

Moyet had another big UK hit the following year with Is This Love, followed by her second LP in 1987, Raindancing. The musician walked down the aisle for the first time to a hairdresser and retired London firefighter Malcolm Lee.

The couple went on to welcome a son together before they decided to go their separate ways. Moyet also has a daughter with her former partner, Kim McCarthy, and a daughter with her current husband, David Ballard.