Reg Presley in recent years.

In the pantheon of garage rock classics, the Troggs‘ “Wild Thing” (written by Chip Taylor) certainly ranks high. With its simple, driving guitar, blunt lyrics (“Wild Thing/You make my heart sing/You make everything groovy/Wild Thing“) and slightly sinister edge, it’s one of the ’60s most recognizable numbers.

Reg Presley – the voice behind that 1966 tune – along with other Troggs hits “Love Is All Around” and “With A Girl Like You,” is dead at age 71 from lung cancer.

Reg Presley is second from left.

And while Jimi Hendrix famously covered “Wild Thing” and R.E.M. put out a take of “Love Is All Around” (as well as actor Bill Nighy, whose tortuous rendition is a plot point of the film Love, Actually), I always preferred the original versions.

Here is an interesting piece about the story behind “Wild Thing.”