According to
Giorgio Gomelsky, Baldry's flamboyant mannerisms made his homosexuality an open secret within the music industry during the early 1960s; until 1967, male homosexual acts were unlawful in England and Wales, and so Baldry did not publicly disclose his orientation. Baldry had a brief relationship with
Dave Davies of the Kinks. In 1968,
Elton John tried to
take his own life after relationship problems with a woman, Linda Woodrow. His lyricist
Bernie Taupin and Baldry found him, and Baldry talked him out of marrying her. The song "
Someone Saved My Life Tonight" from
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy was about the experience. In 1978, Baldry's then-upcoming album ''Baldry's Out'' announced his formal
coming out, and he addressed sexuality problems with a cover of Canadian songwriter
Barbra Amesbury's "A Thrill's a Thrill".
Health and death During the mid-1970s, Baldry suffered from depression exacerbated by his collapsing career (particularly the failure of his 1973 album
Good to Be Alive) and separation from an Austrian boyfriend who was required to leave the United Kingdom when his visitor visa expired. As a result, he developed an addiction to alcohol and painkillers. Following an incident in which he was allegedly mugged in Amsterdam, Baldry was found barely conscious by his sister, Margaret, in their
Muswell Hill home, having overdosed on
Valium and alcohol in an apparent suicide attempt. Baldry was institutionalised for less than a week, reportedly stopping his dependencies
cold turkey. By the release of his 1986 album
Silent Treatment, Baldry suffered from crippling
gout – which required several pairs of special shoes – as well as bronchial and sinus issues. Shortly after moving into a condominium on Vancouver's 4th Avenue in 1995, Baldry was hospitalised and underwent surgery for a bleeding
stomach ulcer. He quit smoking afterwards and ceased performing in clubs that allowed smoking. During a performance in
Banbury promoting his 1999 live album
Live, Long John Baldry Trio, Baldry was hospitalised for another bleeding ulcer caused and obscured by his arthritis medication
indometacin. A few days after being discharged from
Horton General Hospital, he developed agonising gout across his body, prompting Rod Stewart to admit him to
the London Clinic, where he stayed for three weeks. In 2002, Baldry remarked that he had developed spinal
osteoporosis and dorsocervical
lipodystrophy. He underwent hip replacement surgery to treat his osteoporosis, after which
Tom Lavin of the Powder Blues Band noted that he appeared healthier. Although he had ceased smoking, Baldry developed a persistent hacking cough and chronic wheezing by late 2004; according to Felix "Oz" Rexach, Baldry's partner of 25 years, he had fallen ill with
pneumonia after returning from a European tour earlier that year. The
cause of death was listed as a severe chest infection. He was survived by Rexach, his brother Roger, and his sister Margaret. ==Discography==