Margaret Urlich's cause of death is revealed as tributes flow for the ARIA-winning singer, 57, best known for her vocals on Daryl Braithwaite's smash hit The Horses

By Jo Scrimshire and Mary Mrad For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

New Zealand singer Margaret Urlich, best known for her vocals on Daryl Braithwaite's timeless hit The Horses, has died at the age of 57.

She passed away peacefully on Monday surrounded by family at her home in the NSW Southern Highlands following a two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer.

Margaret began her career as the vocalist for Peking Man before joining an all-girl pop group in New Zealand called When the Cat's Away.

New Zealand singer Margaret Urlich (seen here in an undated photo) has died at the age of 57 surrounded by her family following a two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer

New Zealand singer Margaret Urlich (seen here in an undated photo) has died at the age of 57 surrounded by her family following a two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer

She made history as the first solo female artist to land a No. 1 hit in the official New Zealand Music Charts.

Margaret had a string of hits from her debut album Safety in Numbers in 1989, including Escaping and Number One (Remember When We Danced All Night).

She followed it up with 1992's Chameleon Dreams, which spawned the hits Boy in the Moon and Burnt Sienna.

But it was her guest vocals on Braithwaite's mega-hit The Horses in 1991 that would immortalise her in Australian music history.

In an interview with The Star in 2017, Urlich spoke proudly of her decision to turn her back on fame at the height of her career, insisting: 'I quite like being normal'

She died peacefully on Monday surrounded by family at her home in the Southern Highlands

The Horses, which was originally penned by Rickie Lee Jones and Walter Becker, spent 12 weeks in the top 10 and 23 weeks inside the Australian top 50.

Over the years, the pop song has morphed into a beloved Australian national anthem of sorts, along with John Farnham's You're the Voice.

In 2016, Margaret admitted she regretted not appearing in the song's iconic video.

Margaret began her career as the vocalist for Peking Man before joining an all-girl pop group in New Zealand called When the Cat's Away. (Pictured in Bondi, Sydney, on July 14, 1993)

Margaret began her career as the vocalist for Peking Man before joining an all-girl pop group in New Zealand called When the Cat's Away. (Pictured in Bondi, Sydney, on July 14, 1993)

She said she decided not to appear in the clip because she was recording an album in London at the time, leaving model Gillian Bailey to mime her vocals.

'I could have come back to do the video but I was doing my own thing by that stage,' she told News Corp.

'A lot of people know it's my singing, but they don't put two and two together that it's not me in the video.

'In retrospect, it was probably a little bit silly because the song was so huge. But at the time I was young and a bit stupid, I did what I thought was right. But it was absolutely no disrespect to Daryl.'

But it was her guest vocals on Daryl Braithwaite's The Horses in 1991 that would immortalise her in Australian music history. (Pictured: Daryl Braithwaite in the video for The Horses)

But it was her guest vocals on Daryl Braithwaite's The Horses in 1991 that would immortalise her in Australian music history. (Pictured: Daryl Braithwaite in the video for The Horses)

Margaret decided not to appear in the iconic film clip because she was recording an album in London at the time, leaving model Gillian Bailey (pictured) to mime her vocals

Margaret decided not to appear in the iconic film clip because she was recording an album in London at the time, leaving model Gillian Bailey (pictured) to mime her vocals

'In retrospect, it was probably a little bit silly because the song was so huge. But at the time I was young and a bit stupid, I did what I thought was right. But it was absolutely no disrespect to Daryl,' Urlich said of her choice. (Pictured: Gillian Bailey)

'In retrospect, it was probably a little bit silly because the song was so huge. But at the time I was young and a bit stupid, I did what I thought was right. But it was absolutely no disrespect to Daryl,' Urlich said of her choice. (Pictured: Gillian Bailey)

In an interview to commemorate 25 years since The Horses went to No. 1, Daryl claimed Margaret dropped out at the last minute.

The music video for The Horses was filmed at Sandbar on NSW's mid-north coast in January 1991. 

Channel 10 entertainment reporter Angela Bishop paid tribute to Urlich following the shock announcement of her death, writing on Twitter:  'One of the most beautiful voices to come out of New Zealand has fallen silent.'

Channel Nine's Richard Wilkins also offered kind words. 

'Vale #margareturlich. Much love to George and the family... and immense respect for the beautiful and talented artist who blazed a trail. R.I.P. Margaret,' he wrote alongside a broken-heart emoji. 

Australian stars shared tributes to Margaret on social media following the news of her death

Australian stars shared tributes to Margaret on social media following the news of her death

In 1991, Margaret won an ARIA Award for 'Best Breakthrough Artist'. (Pictured: Christine Nottoli and Margaret Urlich in Sydney in May 1993)

In 1991, Margaret won an ARIA Award for 'Best Breakthrough Artist'. (Pictured: Christine Nottoli and Margaret Urlich in Sydney in May 1993)

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