Kerry McGregor (30 October 1974 – 4 January 2012) was a Scottish singer-songwriter and actress from

West Lothian West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...

. McGregor appeared on the third UK series of ''The X Factor'', where she was mentored by

Sharon Osbourne Sharon Rachel Osbourne (née Levy, later Arden; born 9 October 1952) is a British-American television personality, music manager and author. She is married to heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing ...

. McGregor died on 4 January 2012 of complications from

bladder cancer Bladder cancer is any of several types of cancer arising from the tissues of the urinary bladder. Symptoms include blood in the urine, pain with urination, and low back pain. It is caused when epithelial cells that line the bladder become mali ...

, a disease she had had for years.

Career

After studying music and drama at

Jewel and Esk Valley College Jewel and Esk College was a further education college in the Lothians in Scotland. It had two campuses, located at Milton Road in Edinburgh and at Eskbank, Dalkeith, Midlothian. In October 2012 the college merged with Edinburgh's other two FE co ...

, Edinburgh, she co-formed, in 1993, the dance band

Nexus NEXUS is a joint Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection-operated Trusted Traveler and Border control#Expedited border controls, expedited border control program designed for pre-approved, low-risk travelers. Members ...

. She then joined QFX, whose single ''Freedom 2'' reached Number 21 in the UK charts. She was talent spotted by Kenny MacDonald, manager of

The Proclaimers ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

, and in 1997 chosen to participate in ''

The Great British Song Contest ''Eurovision: You Decide'' is the most recent name of a BBC television programme that was broadcast annually to select the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest, United Kingdom's entry into the Eurovision Song Contest. The show had prev ...

'', the UK selection for the ''

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

'', with the song "Yodel in the Canyon of Love". The song came second, behind Katrina and the Waves' "

Love Shine a Light "Love Shine a Light" is a song by British rock band Katrina and the Waves. It represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1997. It was released as a single on 28 April 1997 and was later included on the band's ninth studio a ...

", which went on to win the competition that year. "Yodel in the Canyon of Love" was subsequently released as a single by Polygram, credited as 'Do-Re-Mi with Kerry'. McGregor had appeared in a number of stage and television shows including the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

comedy ''

The Book Group ''The Book Group'' is a British comedy drama that was broadcast on Channel 4 between 2002 and 2003 and ran for two seasons. It was written and directed by the American-born, Glasgow resident Annie Griffin, who also wrote and directed ''Festival ...

'' playing Kenny's love-interest Carol Ann, and the

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

Children's drama series ''

Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British Children's television series, children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical Comprehensive school (England and Wales), comprehensive school. The show began its ru ...

''. In 2006, McGregor was a contestant in the third UK series of TV talent show ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

''. McGregor was mentored on the show by

. She was eliminated in the third week of the live shows on 28 October 2006, in a double elimination along with Dionne Mitchell. McGregor appeared at sell-out summer shows in Blackpool in 2007 and performed for the National Lottery Live, before taking a break to concentrate on her song-writing. In 2008, she recorded and toured with singer-songwriter Jay Brown appearing on his album, "Take What You Need" and worked with producer and musician Calais Brown. McGregor also performed at the 2010 Edinburgh International Festival, singing in concert with classical Tenor, Martin Aelred. In 2011, McGregor was appointed Ambassador to UK charity, Action on Bladder Cancer (ABC).

Personal life

McGregor was born in 1974 in

Pumpherston Pumpherston is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. Originally a small industrial village housing works for the nearby shale mine and works, it now forms the eastern part of the new town of Livingston, which was constructed to the west of Pumphe ...

, West Lothian, Scotland. Her grandfather was Bobby McKerracher, known as "the Scottish Bing Crosby". After her father died in a car crash when she was aged five, she was raised by her mother Margaret, who was also a singer. Joining

West Calder High School West Calder High School is a secondary school in West Calder, West Lothian, Scotland. The current school building was officially opened in 2018 by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the UN's Special Envoy for Global Education. History The school ...

, McGregor showed promise as a gymnast until aged 13, when she fell out of a tree and broke her back. Thereafter she was a wheelchair user, but in six weeks she learned to walk again using crutches, earning a Child of Achievement Award. McGregor lived in West Lothian near

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, with her property developer partner Dean and their son Joshua. In 2007, McGregor helped to launch the WheelieChix-Chic clothing brand at

London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London twice a year, in February and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fashion wee ...

Death

After two years of complaining of stomach pains, in September 2010 McGregor was diagnosed with

. On 4 January 2012 it was announced by McGregor's management on her Facebook page that she had died earlier that day from the disease. Four hundred people attended her funeral. In October 2012, a recording of her cover version of "

Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses ...

" was released to mark what would have been her 38th birthday, with all proceeds going to charity.

Discography

Singles

References

External links

*
Official website
accessed 25 August 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:McGregor, Kerry 1974 births 2012 deaths 20th-century Scottish women singers 21st-century Scottish women singers Deaths from bladder cancer Deaths from cancer in Scotland People from West Lothian People with paraplegia Singers with disabilities British actors with disabilities Scottish television actresses The X Factor (British TV series) contestants Wheelchair users