Singer Colin Vearncombe in coma ‘needs a miracle’ to pull out

Musician Colin Vearncombe, known as Black, will need “a miracle” if he is to pull out of a coma after a car accident in Cork, his management has said.

The singer from Liverpool, who had a global hit in 1987 with ‘Wonderful Life’, suffered swelling on his brain after sustaining a serious head injury in a crash on Sunday, January 10, near Cork Airport.

The 53-year-old has been in intensive care since. In an online update, the singer’s management said his wife Camilla and three sons, who have been at his bedside since the accident, hoped people would send positive healing and energy to him.

“Scans have revealed that the injuries to his brain are worse than we feared and that he has only a slim chance of pulling through,” they said. “He is in a stable condition, which is being managed by the amazing staff of the intensive treatment unit, with his family by his side.

“More scans are scheduled for Friday morning, however, it is clear that if we are going to see an improvement, we will need a miracle.

“Colin’s wife Camilla has asked that anyone who wants to, to send collective healing and positive energy to Colin.”

The family also asked for messages of support to be emailed to [e-mail].

“We would ask that the family are given space to deal with these difficult times in private.”

Black is due to become a grandfather on St Patrick’s Day with the expected birth of his eldest son’s child.

The crash occurred as he drove on his own from his home in Schull, West Cork, for a flight to Edinburgh for a songwriting trip.

Best known for 1980s singles ‘Sweetest Smile’ and ‘Wonderful Life’, Black has released 15 albums under his own name and also published poetry and staged exhibitions of his paintings in Ireland, where he has lived for more than 10 years.