Musician Colin Vearncombe, known as Black, has died after suffering head injuries in a car accident.

The singer, from Liverpool, who had a global hit in 1987 with Wonderful Life, suffered swelling on his brain in a crash on Sunday January 10 near Cork Airport.

The 53-year-old had been in intensive care since then.

His death was announced on his Facebook page with the simple message: "Colin Vearncombe. 26/5/1962-26/1/2016. You'll never walk alone".

Black had been due to become a grandfather on St Patrick's Day with the expected birth of his eldest son's child.

The crash occurred as he drove on his own from his home in Schull, west Cork, to catch a flight from Cork to Edinburgh for a songwriting trip.

Best known for 1980s singles Sweetest Smile and Wonderful Life, Black released 15 albums under his own name and also published poetry and staged exhibitions of his paintings in Ireland, where he lived for more than 10 years.