He rose to fame as a ’90s boy band heartthrob and sang on one of the crucial iconic Christmas songs of all time.
However now John Hendy has traded in his days of stay performances and globetrotting for a surprisingly regular job.
The previous pop star, now aged 55, was an authentic member of East-17 alongside Tony Mortimer, Brian Harvey and Terry Coldwell and fashioned the band in Walthamstow in 1991.
They went on to attain 18 high 20 singles and 4 high 10 albums, changing into certainly one of Britain’s hottest boy bands within the early to mid-Nineteen Nineties.
On the time they have been seen as an edgier model of Take That, with their shaved heads and tattoos, and their music was extra political and influenced by hip-hop and R&B.
East-17’s most well-known track, after all, stays 1994’s Christmas primary, Keep One other Day, which, regardless of its devastating backstory (Tony wrote the tune about his brother’s suicide), has stood the check of time and re-entered the charts 12 months after 12 months.
However regardless of what Hugh Grant’s character in About A Boy (2002) led us to imagine, dwelling off the royalties of a festive single perpetually is not at all times doable, with John making his dwelling by guide labor.
On social media, he paperwork his revived profession as a roofer, a job he had earlier than his 17 days again east.
With 6,000 TikTok followers, he movies his craft, organizes livestreams to talk with followers and posts enjoyable movies along with his spouse and kids.
In a single video, John movies himself engaged on a roof in Lewisham, sporting a security jacket and instruments in hand.
He’s cheerful and clearly having fun with his work eight years after formally leaving East-17.
Not that anybody forgets his roots, after all, as a result of followers within the feedback usually acknowledge John and ask about his boy band days.
“I nonetheless take heed to easy17 songs on YouTube virtually day by day… cannot imagine you simply confirmed up right here 🙌,” @lins00004 commented on a video.
“actually in case you’re on the dock nonetheless ask in your autograph east17 was my teenage years!” stated @myemarvzf5n.
Others have declared John a ‘actual grafter’ and a ‘nice particular person’, however his followers have additionally puzzled the place his ‘hundreds of thousands’ are.
East 17 band members
East-17 has gone by a lot of iterations, with Terry Coldwell being the one fixed member. The present line-up consists of:
Terry Coldwell Robbie Craig Joe Livermore
Previous members embody:
John Hendy Brian Harvey Tony Mortimer Blair Dreelan Terry John
‘no hate. however how is that this man nonetheless working when he bought the information he did? he must be retired and spending his life in a heat place. nice resurrection album e17,” stated @chrishaslam1.
“Nothing however respect for this man – royalties and fair proportion ought to make him retire and take life straightforward – very unfair, however what a pleasant man – humble ♥️,” @riaannsi added.
Sadly, regardless of their recognition and sustaining a powerful fan base, East-17 every earned £125 per week of their early days. Their late supervisor, Tom Watkins, elevated their wages by £25 each 4 months.
And though Tony, the band’s frontman and songwriter, pockets an estimated £97,000 yearly from Keep One other Day, the royalties didn’t embody John, Brian and Terry.
In consequence, John has fallen on laborious occasions lately and has spoken overtly about the truth that his financial institution stability is way from what followers would anticipate.
Through the coronavirus pandemic, he and his household needed to transfer to a hostel for 18 months.
Nonetheless, he insists he has “no regrets” and believes it is essential to “get a grip,” moderately than dwelling on what he may have had.
In January 2025, he advised the Every day Mail: ‘I do not actually have a home, and other people assume you are millionaires and all that, and I am like, ‘I do not even personal a home.’
“We should always all have a minimum of come out with a home.”
Nevertheless, on why he did not need to commerce locations along with his wealthier pals, he added: ‘It is individuals’s dream, proper? We had the dream.”
‘Clearly individuals say, “Oh yeah, you understand, it is laborious work, and it does this, and it does that.”
“However on the finish of the day, you needed to be within the band; you need to be well-known, so it is a part of it. You’ll be able to’t have one and never the opposite.’
“I get it, when individuals say, ‘Oh, maintain on,’ and that, as a result of after I take a look at footballers, I believe the amount of cash they earn is about €300,000 per week, and also you assume, ‘How do you justify that?’ I simply assume they’re overpaid,” he additionally stated.
Finally, John left the group after falling out with Terry and new member Robbie Craig. In 2023, Terry expressed doubts {that a} reunion with the unique 4 would “ever occur.”
“No one talks within the band, not one member,” he revealed.
Terry has undergone a number of lineup adjustments over time and is the one authentic member remaining. A model of East-17 continues to carry out at nostalgia occasions.
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