Reg Presley | 'Wild Thing' singer, 71

Reg Presley, 71, lead singer of the Troggs on hit songs including the garage-rock classic "Wild Thing," died Monday at his home in Andover, England, after a yearlong bout with lung cancer.

Mr. Presley and the Troggs scored their breakthrough hit in the early days of the British music invasion.

The song, a cover of a version by Jordan Christopher and the Wild Ones, was later picked up not only by garage bands the world over - the lead guitar riffs were easily copied - but also by icons like Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Springsteen.

The Troggs, all from the Andover area, had several other big hits, including "Love Is All Around" and "With a Girl Like You." They faded in the 1970s but their songs were revived in the 1990s when R.E.M. and Wet Wet Wet released covers of the Troggs' "Love Is All Around."

Mr. Presley, born Reginald Ball, founded the Troggs in the 1960s and the band kept touring until his cancer was diagnosed just over a year ago. He recently retired because of illness. - AP