Richard Paul Astley is a musician, songwriter, and radio personality from the United Kingdom. He rose to prominence as a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman production trio; his 1987 recording of their song "Never Gonna Give You Up" was a number one hit single in 25 countries, earning him the 1988 Brit Award for Best British Single.
When the music video for "Never Gonna Give You Up" became an integral part of the meme known as "rickrolling," Astley made a comeback in 2007. At the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2008, Astley was voted "Best Act Ever" by Internet users, and his 2016 album 50 debuted at No. 1 in the UK.