Wilson was born in Trinidad and played in bands including The Flames, The Souvenirs, and The Corduroys before forming Hot Chocolate with his friend Errol Brown in the late 1960s.
They got their break in 1969, after sending a reggae version of John Lennon’s Give Peace a Chance to its writer.
“Amazingly, a week later I got a call to say John Lennon approved it and wanted to sign the band to the Apple record label,” Brown told BBC Breakfast in 2009. “And that’s how we began.”
The band forged a relationship with hit record producer Mickie Most, and wrote material for other acts, including Mary Hopkin, Julie Felix and Herman’s Hermits.
But it was on their own that they excelled – with a multidimensional sound that incorporated strains of soul, rock, reggae and disco.
Their debut single, Love is Life, went to number six in 1970, and they had at least one hit song every year until 1984, making Hot Chocolate the first group in the UK to have a hit for 15 consecutive years.
Emma became their first American smash in 1975 – a year after it charted in the UK. Later that year, You Sexy Thing marked their career peak.
The track went platinum at home, and spent several weeks in the US top 10. In 1997, it charted again after being featured in the film The Full Monty.
Wilson left the band soon afterwards to resume a solo career that had started with a handful of singles for Decca Records in the 1960s.
However, neither of the two albums he released – I Like Your Style (1976) and Catch One (1979) – made much of an impact on the charts.
In 1983, he released a visionary track called Hangin’ Out In Space – which presaged the electro-soul movement; but after the 1988 compilation Sweet ‘N’ Soulful – The Tony Wilson Story, he stopped releasing new music.
Brown, meanwhile, continued to achieve success with Hot Chocolate, scoring hits like Every 1’s A Winner and So You Win Again.
In 1998, the singer told the Independent, external that he had “lost touch” with his former bandmate.
“However, I will always be grateful to him for planting the seed and helping me find myself,” he added.
When Brown died in 2015, Wilson paid tribute on his Facebook page, external, writing: “Rest in peace Errol Brown. Heartfelt condolences to your family, friends, and all fans.”
The same Facebook page was flooded with tributes, external for Wilson, after his family announced his death at the weekend.
No cause of death has yet been given.