London, Feb 26 (IANS): Mark Hollis, lead singer of 1980s band Talk Talk, has died. He was 64 years old, his former manager said.

"Sadly it's true. Mark has died after a short illness from which he never recovered," Keith Aspden said, reports bbc.com.

Talk Talk got mainstream success with hit songs like "It's my life" and "Such a shame".

After releasing a solo album in 1998, Hollis left music behind and removed himself from public view.

When asked about the decision, he had said: "I choose for my family. Maybe others are capable of doing it, but I can't go on tour and be a good dad at the same time."

Aspden told bbc.com he was "still trying to accept" that his former colleague had died.

"I can't tell you how much Mark influenced and changed my perceptions on art and music," he said.

"I'm grateful for the time I spent with him and for the gentle beauty he shared with us."

Talk Talk's bassist Paul Webb, aka Rustin Man, said he was "shocked and saddened" at the news.

"Musically, he was a genius and it was a honour and a privilege to have been in a band with him," he wrote.

Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran called Hollis "one of music's great innovators".