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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Charlotte Hawes

Who was Dusty Springfield? Inside life and 'volatile' relationship with lesbian lover

Google Doodle is celebrating the life and career of singer Dusty Springfield.

Dusty Springfield was an English 'pop blue-eyed soul' singer from West Hampstead, London.

Her career boomed during the 1960s and she ranked among the most successful British female performers on both sides of the Atlantic.

She was also known for her iconic peroxide blonde 'beehive' hairstyle, heavy makeup and evening gowns.

But how did Dusty Springfield's career begin and what was her sexual orientation?

Here's everything you need to know.

How did Dusty Springfield's career begin?

Dusty was an icon of the swinging '60s but her career did not begin as a solo singer.

She first found fame as part of The Springfields alongside her brother Tom and Reshad 'Tim' Feild.

The singer then went solo in 1963, and soon had massive international hits with the likes of I Only Want To Be With You, Son Of A Preacher Man and You Don't Have To Say You Love Me.

Dusty Springfield rose to fame in the 60's (Rex Features)

She won many awards during this time, including NME Awards for World Female Singer and British Female Singer multiple times throughout the 60s.

In 1974, Dusty decided to take a break from music due to public scrutiny and she decided to live as a recluse in the US.

She then made a big comeback in the late 1980s thanks to her collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys on their single What Have I Done To Deserve This?

Was Dusty Springfield married?

The singer was never reported to be in a heterosexual relationship, and this meant that the issue of her sexual orientation was raised frequently during her lifetime.

From 1966 to the early 1970s, she lived in a domestic partnership with fellow singer Norma Tanega.

In September 1970, Dusty told Ray Connolly of the Evening Standard: "Many other people say I'm bent, and I've heard it so many times that I've almost learned to accept it... I know I'm perfectly as capable of being swayed by a girl as by a boy. More and more people feel that way and I don't see why I shouldn't."

Teda Bracci 'married' Dusty Springfield in the 1980s (IMDb)

At the time, this was a bold statement for someone in the public eye to make.

Three years after her comments to the Standard, she told Los Angeles Free Press: "I mean, people say that I'm gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay. I'm not anything. I'm just... People are people. I basically want to be straight... I go from men to women; I don't give a s***.

"The catchphrase is: I can't love a man. Now, that's my hang-up. To love, to go to bed, fantastic; but to love a man is my prime ambition... They frighten me."

She then went on to have multiple relationships with women between the 1970s and 80s before she met American photojournalist Faye Harris.

The couple had an on/off domestic relationship, however this soon came to an official end as Dusty went on to exchange vows with Teda Bracci in 1983.

However, the marriage was not recognised under California law at the time.

The couple had a turbulent relationship and on one occasion, Teda allegedly hit Dusty in the mouth with a saucepan, leading the singer to require plastic surgery.

They then split after two years together.

How did Dusty Springfield die?

Dusty Springfield passed away in 1999 (Getty Images)

Dusty began to fall ill during the recording of her penultimate album, A Very Fine Love , in 1994.

She was then diagnosed with breast cancer and received several months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment before the cancer was found to be in remission.

By 1996, the cancer had returned, and despite ongoing treatments, the singer passed away in Henley-on-Thames on March 2, 1999, six weeks before her 60th birthday.

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