English singer and producer best known as the frontman and co-founder of the intentionally-successful synthpop act The Human League. With the group, he has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, including the triple-platinum 1981 album Dare.
He dropped out of school at 18 and worked a variety of odd jobs, including as a porter at Thornbury Annex Hospital in Sheffield. He formed the band The Future in 1977.
His biggest hit, 1981's "Don't You Want Me," is notable for being the first chart-topping single to feature the Linn LM-1 drum machine, which later became widespread among many of the decade's most popular artists.
He was previously married but got divorced in 1980.
He worked with famed Italian record producer Giorgio Moroder on the 1985 collaborative album Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder.