Former tour manager of Simple Minds, Lenny Love, dies

Lenny Love was 74 when he died in Edinburgh

The former tour manager of Scottish band Simple Minds, who also set up the record label that discovered the Rezillos, has died aged 74.

Lenny Love, from Edinburgh, who was also a celebrant, collapsed after conducting a wedding at the Balmoral Hotel and died on Tuesday.

Bruce Findlay, Simple Minds ex-manager, paid tribute to his friend of 50 years saying he was an "amazing character".

Love chose to "do a David Bowie" by having an unattended cremation.

Mr Findlay said: "Lenny has been a good friend of mine for over 50 years."

He said Love used to bring people like Tom Petty and Ian Dury into his record shop in Edinburgh's Rose Street and they worked together when Mr Findlay managed Simple Minds and Love was "a quite amazing tour manager" for the band for several tours.

"Lenny was an amazing character, eccentric and funny, but most of all a lovely human being," he said.

Lenny Love was the tour manager for Simple Minds

The tour manager started DJing at parties in the 1960s before joining Island Records, initially as a merchandiser, and then as an A&R (artists and repertoire) man.

Inspired by punk, he started indie label Sensible Records in 1977 to give The Rezillos their first shot at stardom, before going on to work for Bruce Findlay as tour manager.

Alan Forbes of The Rezillos said: "Lenny brought his positivity and buoyancy to the mix as our first manager in the early days of the Rezillos as a young new band.

"His profile in the music circles helped in spreading the word, and ultimately connecting us with Sire Records which propelled the band to further successes."

Love then spent 10 years working in radio stations in Melbourne, Australia, before returning to Edinburgh, where as Dino Martini, he became part of the team presenting the popular Vegas Nightclub

He also worked as a presenter and producer at Radio Forth, where he won a Sony Radio Award.

It was only eight years ago, after a conversation with an old friend, Tim Maguire of Celebrate People, that he trained as a celebrant.

Love set up the record label that discovered the Rezillos

"With that voice and that name, I knew Lenny would be popular, and he was," Mr Maguire said.

"But far more importantly, it gave him a whole sense of new purpose.

"He told me, and everyone else he knew, that becoming a humanist celebrant was the best and most rewarding thing he'd ever done in his life."

On the 17 August 2023, after conducting a wedding at the Balmoral Hotel, Love had a blackout and collapsed. He was taken to hospital and died six months later.

Gerrie and Susan Douglas-Scott, the founders of Celebrate People, said: "What can we say about Lenny? A star among celebrants, a warm caring funny man who saw and brought out the best in the people who he supported.

"Lenny was there for everyone and was interested in all of your lives.

"Lenny's wit made sure that ceremonies were always full of fun and laughter and of course love as he understood this to be the essence of human connection.

"For those of you who knew Lenny, he has touched your lives, so cherish these memories of an incredible man."