The tragic reason Mel & Kim's career ended at the height of their fame

30 March 2026, 15:48

They were never going to be 'Respectable'.

But irrespective of their respectability, pop duo Mel & Kim went on to storm the charts throughout the 1980s.

Celebrated for their dance-pop sound, street-wise style and infectiously joyous choreography, the pair were guided to the top by none other than Stock Aitken Waterman.

Of course, anything the writing-producing trio turned their hand to at the time became a massive hit.

It certainly helped that sisters Melanie and Kim Appleby were stunning, and had stunning voices to match.

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Born in Hackney, London to English and Jamaican parents, the Appleby sisters started out as models before they were noticed by producer Pete Waterman early on in their music career.

Soon after, Mel & Kim found themselves sitting at the top of the charts, becoming teen idols in the music and fashion worlds.

But almost as soon as they achieved chart success, tragedy struck sister Melanie, who died at the untimely age of 23.

Melanie was noticed as a model first before being asked to record several demos under the guidance of record producer Alan Whitehead.

Whitehead encouraged sister Kim to join her to become a sibling duo, and got them signed to a record label, but was sacked soon after with Stock Aitken Waterman taking over.

It was a masterstroke where the girls were concerned, as they were joining the ranks of artists like Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Rick Astley and Bananarama who were all riding high.

After recording their debut single 'System', as a soul ballad, the record label refused to release it – but Pete Waterman came to the rescue with the B-side 'Showing Out (Get Fresh At The Weekend)'.

Mel & Kim - Showing Out (Get Fresh At the Weekend)

Noticing that Chicago House dance music was booming in the US, he reworked the song's style to suit clubs and discotheques.

"We got a call from Nick East, saying they had decided to scrap 'System' and we were devastated," Kim recalled in a 2021 interview.

"We thought we had done something wrong, but he explained that after hanging with us in the pub, Pete went back to the studio the next day and said, we need something completely tough; we need something with an attitude."

Like you'd expect from one of the men behind 'The Hit Factory', Mel & Kim's 'Showing Out (Get Fresh At The Weekend)' went to number three in the UK charts.

But it was their follow-up single that would transform them into mega stars.

Mel & Kim - Respectable

"The follow up was genius," recalled Kim, "It started to go global; 'Respectable' just took it to another level."

It certainly did, peaking at number one in the UK and introducing the sisters to a mass American audience.

Mel & Kim were on the top of the world, showing huge promise as Britain's next great pop stars.

They nearly bagged a BRIT Award for Best British Breakthrough Act too, but were just edged out by Wet Wet Wet.

Just as quickly as their celebrity exploded, everything was taken away from the sisters due to medical issues behind the scenes.

Before their music career kicked off, Mel was diagnosed with a form of liver cancer called paraganglioma, at the age of just 18.

After 'Respectable' topped the charts and the girl's touring schedule kicked off, Mel experienced back problems.

As her pain worsened, it was confirmed that her cancer had returned, which largely confined her to a wheelchair.

The pair withdrew from the spotlight, though they continued recording their follow-up album, attempting to keep Mel's condition from the public.

Though speculation mounted, the sisters denied Mel had cancer while she was undergoing chemotherapy.

Her cancer diagnosis was only revealed to the public when a journalist called at her house, disgracefully pretending to be a nurse.

Once her treatment had finished, they made several appearances on television chat shows to promote research for cancer victims.

While taking time out to write and record the second Mel & Kim album, however, in 1990, Mel died suddenly. She was just 23 years old.

After news of her tragic death spread, it was confirmed that Mel died of pneumonia after catching a cold, as her immune system was so low after chemotherapy.

Much later in a 2005 television interview with chat show host Trisha Goddard, sister Kim revealed that Mel's condition had in fact been categorised as terminal by mid-1989.

Not letting her sister's death go in vain, Kim reworked the songs she'd written with Mel for her debut solo album titled, Kim Appleby.

She scored a number two hit with 'Don't Worry' and another top ten hit with 'G.L.A.D.', though her career waned with her second album, Breakaway.

Ultimately, it was a sad end to a life that held such promise. Still, for a time, the duo shone as brightly as any global pop star, even if it was just for a brief moment.