[Steve_Seattle]

"Mike Smith died as the end result of falling off a ladder, making it even more sad."

Yes, as I recall he was partially paralyzed after the fall, and died of complications from that a few years later. He was one of the underrated singers of that era; he could rock ("Wild Weekend") and croon ("Because").

[ChildOfThe60s]

He was paralyzed from the neck down and died about 5 years later, as I recall, from pneumonia. Not uncommon in cases like that.

Here's a rare live performance, (real, not lip synced)