Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show vocalist Ray Sawyer dies at 81

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Guitarist and vocalist Ray Sawyer of the rock band Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show has died at the age of 81.

Wearing a black eyepatch, Sawyer was the face of the band as they produced several hits in the 1970s.

His agent, Mark Lyman, said Sawyer died in his sleep Monday in Daytona Beach, Florida, after a brief illness. Lyman declined to give a cause of death Wednesday out of respect for his family’s privacy.

Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show’s hits included “Sylvia’s Mother,” “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman,” and the aforementioned “The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone.’”

Sawyer wore a patch over his right eye after suffering an injury from a car accident as a young man.

Lyman says Sawyer toured up until two years ago.

Ray Sawyer, who cut a distinctive figure as a member of the band Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show thanks to his flamboyant style and attention-drawing eye patch, and who sang lead on one of the group’s best-known songs, “The Cover of Rolling Stone,” died on Monday in Daytona, Fla. He was 81.