TORONTO — David Clayton-Thomas, the Canadian lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears, died at age 84 in a Toronto hospital, his publicist stated. The publicist said he died peacefully, and no cause of death was given.

Clayton-Thomas wrote "Spinning Wheel," a song that reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. The song was nominated for three Grammy awards and won one.

Born in England, Clayton-Thomas's family settled in Toronto after the Second World War. He was homeless by age 14 and spent much of his teenage years in trouble with the law and in jails. In the 1960s, he fronted a band called David Clayton-Thomas and The Fabulous Shays before moving to New York.

He subsequently joined Blood, Sweat & Tears. Music executive Clive Davis described Clayton-Thomas as a "staggering" musician. The first album released by the band with Clayton-Thomas sold 10 million copies worldwide and charted for 109 weeks in the U.S. It won five Grammy awards, including the award for best album in 1970.

Blood, Sweat & Tears had three songs reach No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969, including "Spinning Wheel." Other hit singles from the band included "And When I Die" and "You've Made Me So Very Happy." Clayton-Thomas said, "Blood, Sweat & Tears was such an unusual mix of people. We had guys in that band whose background was totally Juilliard. We had other guys who were right out of Berkeley – hard-core be-bop jazzers – and then we had another faction like me who were basically saloon-trained rock and roll R&B Telecaster players."

During the Cold War, the band undertook a state-sponsored tour of several Eastern Bloc countries. The tour was arranged to facilitate Clayton-Thomas's receipt of a green card to live and work in the U.S. The tour was the focus of the 2023 documentary "What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?"

After releasing albums titled "Blood, Sweat & Tears 3" and "Blood, Sweat & Tears 4," Clayton-Thomas left the band in 1972. He stated, "I kept it going as long as I could sanely and physically do it." He subsequently released a number of solo albums. In the 2000s, he launched a 10-piece band in Toronto and toured in the years that followed.

Clayton-Thomas worked with charities supporting troubled youth. He published a memoir in 2010. A memorial concert is set to take place.