Rick Astley was born in Newton-le-Willows in 1966 and shot to fame aged just 21 with his debut single “Never Gonna Give You Up”, which was the UK’s best selling single of the year and topped charts in 25 different countries. The 59-year-old had a difficult childhood which influenced his desire to make it big in the music industry.
A year after his initial success, he released the single “Together Forever” which also reached the top 10 in the UK charts. But Rick has previously opened up about his turbulent childhood which spurred his interest in music. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he described his upbringing as “not the happiest time of my life”.
His parents divorced when he was five and he was brought up by his dad. Although Rick did stay in contact with his mum, who lived a few streets away. Astley is the youngest of four, with a sister and two older brothers. But his parents faced heartbreak when one of their children died from meningitis before Rick was born.
His parents went on to get a divorce following the death of their child and Rick struggled during these years, suggesting something was “very wrong” with his family life.
Speaking of his childhood, he told Rolling Stone: “There was definitely an element of ‘There’s something very wrong in this family.’ I can’t even say I’ve got these exact memories of it, I just know it was a bit odd.”
It was these experiences as a young child which encouraged Rick to make the most out of his hobbies outside of the home. He told the BBC: “I think it did form me as a person, definitely, and formed a lot of my choices of why I went into music and why I wanted to be on a stage and why I wanted people’s attention – because I don’t think I got enough attention from my parents.”
When he was ten, Rick joined a local church choir and also began playing the drums in local bands around the north west. He went on join soul band FBI with guitarist David Morris. When the lead singer left the band, Rick offered to take on the role.
It was during this time when Rick proved his incredible vocal talent and was noticed by a record producer at a nightclub in Warrington. At just 21 years old, he spent five weeks at the top of the British singles charts for his hit “Never Gonna Give You Up” which has proved to stand the test of time, still popular among music lovers today.
Over six years, he released four studio albums and he decided to retire from the industry in 1993 when he was just 27. He felt he missed out on aspects of his youth, and wanted to take some time to see his friends and focus on his daughter Emilie, who he shares with his Danish wife Lene Bausager.
The couple have known each other for almost four decades and tied the knot in 2003. They welcomed their daughter Emilie into the world in 1992 and Rick remained out of the public eye during this time. The couple now live in Richmond, south-west London.
Emilie, now 33, decided not to follow in her dad’s musical roots and has a degree in fine art. Back in 2023, Rick shared a photo of himself alongside his daughter at the RHS Chelsea Garden Show. Emilie won a silver gilt award and Rick expressed his congratulations with a post on social media.
Rick made his way back into the spotlight in 2001 with the release of “Keep It Turned On”. But he later released an album, called 50 to celebrate his 50th birthday in 2016 which shot to number one on the charts.
The now 59-year-old singer remains at the forefront of showbiz, with the long-running internet joke where users are “Rickrolled”. The prank tricks people into clicking onto a page which leads them to Astley’s 1987 music video for “Never Gonna Give You Up”.
Rick was back on Merseyside earlier this year to attend the Northern Music Awards, held at the Liverpool Olympia in Kensington. He presented his friends and occasional collaborators Blossoms with their award for Music Moment of the Year and spoke to the ECHO with the band beforehand about what being on stage in Liverpool means to him.
He told the ECHO: “It’s a funny old thing. I grew up in Lancashire and then it got changed into being Merseyside. My mum, who’s no longer with us, said no ‘I’m from Lancashire’, she wasn’t having it at all. As a kid, I don’t think I was really bothered. I had Liverpool and Manchester either side of me, which is pretty amazing really.”
That affinity with Liverpool has not gone away for Rick. He spoke emotionally about his Merseyside upbringing in a show at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall last year as he released his autobiography “Never”.
Rick told the ECHO he always keeps an eye out for his Liverpool dates. He said: “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, but I do always look at ticket sales. I think all artists do – even if they say ‘I’m not bothered about that’, they are. So when your manager sends the figures, Liverpool always seems to go first. And I’m always like ‘get in’.”
Rick Astley is bringing his new arena tour to Liverpool next year. The ’80s pop icon will perform at the M&S Bank Arena on Thursday, April 16 2026 as part of his The Reflection Tour.