About Lynsey de Paul
Lynsey de Paul (born Lyndsey Monckton Rubin; 11 June 1948 – 1 October 2014) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. After initially writing hits for others, she had her own chart hits in the UK and Europe in the 1970s, starting with UK top 10 single "Sugar Me", and became the first British female artist to achieve a number one with a self-written song (in 1972 in Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands). She represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977 alongside Mike Moran with the song "Rock Bottom", finishing in second place and scoring another chart-topping hit in Switzerland, and had a successful career as a songwriter, record producer, actress and television celebrity. == Early life == Lyndsey Monckton Rubin was born to Meta (née de Groot) and Herbert Rubin, a property developer. They were a Jewish family with a Dutch, Austrian and German background, and had one other child, John (born 1944). She studied classical music with a tutor from the Royal Academy of Music. She attended South Hampstead High School followed by Hornsey College of Art, now part of Middlesex University. After graduating, De Paul began designing record cover sleeve and poster artwork, notably for two albums by The Pipkins (who had an international hit with "Gimme Dat Ding"). De Paul later revealed that she and her brother suffered physical abuse at the hands of their father. In one incident as a student aged 19, de Paul was concussed for two days following a fight with her violent father, prompting her to leave her comfortable family home for a two-roomed flat above an Indian restaurant near her college.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.