Who is Sir Cliff Richard? All about the 81-year-old legend who sang at Wimbledon

To commemorate the 100 years of Centre Court celebrations at Wimbledon, the who's who of the tennis community along with other high-profile names were in attendance. Roger Federer, Billie Jean King, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Sue Barker were some of the notable personalities representing the sport.

Sir Cliff Richard, a British music icon and avid tennis fan, was also present. The 81-year-old decided the occasion needed a musical intervention, and treated the audience with a surprise rendition of his #1 hit song, Summer Holiday. He got the crowd up and moving and was cheered on by them, but his performance was praised and derided in equal measure on social media.

"I thought the whole point of spending £75m on a retractable roof at Wimbledon was to PREVENT Cliff Richard singalongs..." one user tweeted.

"The "jokes" some people are making about Cliff Richard singing at #Wimbledon are just mean-spirited, plain nasty, and tinged with ageism. They think they're being all funny and clever, but really they're just ridiculing an 81 year old man. It's just not nice," one user opined.

But who is Cliff Richard? Here's a brief overview of one of the biggest icons of our time.

Cliff Richard is one of the best-selling artists in history

Cliff Richard at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships

Born as Harry Rodger Webb on October 14, 1940, in Lucknow, British India, he spent his childhood there before moving with his family to England. Harry showed an interest in music during his younger days and would soon embark on a journey in the entertainment business following his schooling.

He would later change his name to Cliff Richard after being advised by Harry Greatorex to do the same. Richard became the lead singer of the group The Drifters, and released their debut single Move It, which went to #2 on the UK charts. After a string of hits, the group changed their name to The Shadows.

Richard and the band were hugely successful between the 1950s and 1960s, rivaling the success of Elvis Presley in the UK. He also made a successful transition as a movie star, featuring in hit films like "The Young Ones" and "Summer Holiday" during that period. He would eventually part ways with his band.

Following a lean period in the early 1970s, Richard came back to prominence with his album, "I'm Nearly Famous." The song Devil Woman from that album became one of the biggest hits of his career, charting in the top 10 of most countries. He achieved similar success with We Don't Talk Anymore from the album "Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile" in 1979.

Richard received the Officer of the Order of the British Empire from the Queen for his achievements in 1980. He continued to achieve periodic success with his musical endeavors throughout the decades. He has spent most of the last decade or so performing his biggest hits in tours and concerts. He released his most recent album, "Music...The Air That I Breathe," in 2020.

With sales of more than 250 million records worldwide, Richard is one of the best-selling artists. He's the third best-selling artist in the UK, trailing only Elvis Presely and the Beatles. He has accumulated a total of 14 #1 hits in the UK as well. With an incredible amount of success, he has cemented his place in pop culture history.