Lynsey De Paul, who died last week of a brain haemorrhage, aged 64, was a household name in the 1970s. But the petite performer with the blond hair and beauty spot was a reluctant star who was happier composing behind the scenes.

She was born Lynsey Monckton Rubin in 1950 and grew up in Cricklewood, north London, before the family moved to Canon's Park.

She spoke in the JC last year of her strict upbringing and abusive father, a property developer, who was "quite Victorian in his discipline".

"When I hear people have had a happy childhood, I think: 'How is that possible?'," she recalled. Pop music was taboo in her home, and she was encouraged to pursue classical musical training.

By contrast, the synagogue the family belonged to was Liberal although, by the age of 15 - and despite having a kiddush every Friday at home - she had stopped attending.

"I've always strongly acknowledged my Jewish roots," she said. "I just didn't want to go to synagogue because I felt much of it was lip service and I wanted something with more integrity."

De Paul's miserable upbringing had one advantage. "It made me hide away and develop my drawing and piano-playing skills."

By 21, she had escaped this constricting environment to study at Hornsey Art College. Within a year, she was offered an £80,000 deal to sign as a recording artist with the MAM label. All she needed was a new name.

"I was told to change mine because they felt it wasn't commercial enough and that it was too Jewish," she said.

She had her biggest solo hit with Sugar Me, number five in 1972, a showcase for her breathy voice and infectious pop melodies.

The ballad Won't Somebody Dance With Me - a memory from her youth about being a wallflower at a synagogue dance - reached number 14 and earned de Paul an Ivor Novello award. In 1977 she narrowly missed out on winning the Eurovision Song Contest with Rock Bottom, a duet with Mike Moran.

Following an unsuccessful stint being managed by the notorious Don Arden, father of Sharon Osbourne, she became better known for her famous boyfriends, including Sean Connery, Ringo Starr and James Coburn.

She composed jingles for Capital Radio, was a judge on TV talent show New Faces, and, in the '90s, released a self-defence video - she trained in martial arts after becoming upset by newspaper stories of women being raped. Later, she acted in the ITV drama series Kingdom with Stephen Fry.

She was a beloved popular entertainer, winning the Woman of the Year Award For Music from the Variety Club, and even a Rear Of The Year award. But she felt adrift in the mainstream.

"I'm not a born performer," she told the JC. "It's not something I ever wanted to do. I just wanted to write for other people."