She was 84. Hutchence's partner Paula Yates claimed a year before her own death her lover likely died accidentally while choking himself for sexual pleasure, as the pair had engaged in similar sex games. Soon there was a breaking newsflash. But he also had a shyness about him. The band were at their commercial peak, having performed to roughly 1.2 million people during the past 10-month run, and selling close to 10 million albums since 1987's Kick turned them into international superstars. Meet Elizabeth Bathory, The 'Blood Countess' Who May Have Been History's Most Prolific Female Serial Killer, Scientists Just Determined That A Massive Ice Wall Blocked The Bering Land Bridge, Likely Forcing The First Americans To Arrive By Boat, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. On consideration of the entirety of the evidence I am satisfied Hutchence was in a severe depressed state on the morning of November 22, 1997. Hutchence's parents split up when he was a child, and he was taken by his mother to move to LA, while his younger brother was left in Sydney with his father. After hours of drinking with his ex and her new boyfriend in his Ritz-Carlton hotel room that fateful night in November, Hutchence was heard screaming at someone over the phone. The coroner who presided over the inquest into the charismatic singer's strange 1997 death explains. After playing gigs for a couple of years in Sydney and Perth in Western Australia, the band settled on changing their name to INXS, pronounced in excess.. Australian Rock Star Michael Hutchence: Why Did He Die? - Forbes Paula Yates provided a statement regarding the background to the custody dispute between her and Sir Robert Geldof. It was that deeper side to Michael that drew him to U2 star Bono, with the pair forming a connection - albeit a competitive one - during the late 80s. His mother released a statement claiming that her 37-year-old son had been depressed. Hutchence's sensory interest in food and wine was erased by the attack, and, as Beers suspected, he began taking a cocktail of drugs to treat the pain caused from the injury. 'Michael may have committed suicide. What amazing pictures. I was concerned, she said. INXS Singer Found Dead In Sydney Hotel Room - Rolling Stone The pair's friendship got closer as time went on, Stars in your eyes: Richard is pictured with Hutchence and Rob Lowe (centre right). Soon after his death, the family discovered that three Gold Coast properties, a luxury waterfront mansion on the Isle of Capri where he hosted his sister Tina's wedding, a villa in France, a house in London, an Indonesian development and numerous other assets were not technically his. People have wanted to imply that there was some sex and drug-crazed orgy happening in Michaels room that night, said his ex Kym Wilson. "Especially aged 27, when so many stars died like Hendrix and Morrison, and he was being obviously compared to some of those. Mr Hutchence could offer no explanation as to why his son would take his own life. I am satisfied that the cause of death was 'hanging'. After learning about the tragic death of Michael Hutchence, the lead singer of INXS, read about the mysterious death of Jimi Hendrix. "He was unconscious and there was blood coming out of his mouth and ear," Christensen recalls in Mystify, the new documentary about Hutchence's life. Searching wound up on 1997's Elegantly Wasted, the band's final album with Hutchence, and their first in four years. She wrote a note and left it at reception. I f***ing had enough.' And very powerful. We'll all be there to tell stories and celebrate his life,' Richard said. Lowenstein explains: "She's an incredibly private person, so I don't feel right saying too much. Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. While he agreed that autoerotic asphyxiation may have led to the death, he stated firmly that there was simply not enough evidence to claim as much. "I've waited 20 years for someone to tell the story properly and it hasn't happened. Because he cant see really past the first few rows., And even being one of the biggest rock stars in the world, Hutchence was, in Aussie speak, a regular mate. Mr Martin refers to a note received from the deceased stating that he was 'not going to rehearsals today'. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. "So, to have his idols come out and pull him down for whatever egotistical young rock star reasons was really hard. That is one of the many blessings God has given me in this life that the last time I saw Michael's face, he was smiling.". Geldof refers to deceased's demeanour as being 'hectoring and abusive and threatening' in nature. To join the conversation, please Despite his tabloid travails, Hutchence was determined that the show must go on. Dr Collins said there was no hint of suicidal thinking by Hutchence. INXS, who were best known for their hits Suicide Blonde, Mystify and I Need You Tonight, saw the height of their fame in the late 80s and early 90s. This was of some length. "We went to her flat to watch the documentary and it was like a little squat," Lowenstein said. The fateful punch that changed Michael Hutchence overnight "When Michael hit his head, he came back a different person and I'm sure doctors were prescribing all sorts of weird and wonderful concoctions,'' bassist Garry Garry Beers told Sunday Night in 2014. Another one. It was while interviewing Hutchence's ex-girlfriend, model Christensen, he discovered the full extent of his injuries. He had apparently hanged himself with his own belt and the buckle broke away and his body was found kneeling on the floor and facing the door. The band spent much of the following five years touring around the world and recording another hit album X, which featured the popular songs Suicide Blonde and Disappear. In 1992, however, Hutchence suffered an accident he never truly recovered from. "I believe he would have been proud of the end result. He would carry around a clock with her picture on it and bring it into meetings. The rehearsal was to be the last one prior to the start of the tour and was quite important. According to Ms Wilson, Hutchence appeared to want them to remain with him to offer support if the result of his custody hearing was unfavourable. They will of course include Richard who will be attending a get-together for the late singer at the Royal Oak Hotel in Double Bay at 3pm on Sunday. They were still playing pubs in Sydney's northern beaches, but Hutchence was built for stadiums. Ms Bennett went to the hotel but could not rouse him by telephone or knocking on his door. "He might have been going out to nightclubs and things like that, but compared to the real bad boys of rock he was a pussycat. 'I did a Christian Bale', the actor says. I am also satisfied that this death is one in which nothing will be gained by holding a formal Inquest. Irishman Ciaran Gribbin is the band's third frontman. "I'd seen many salacious tabloid-style documentaries, and none of us who knew Michael recognised the person being portrayed.". Michael Hutchence Page of Fuller Up, Dead Musician Directory The famous INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence died too soon at the age of 37 back in November 22, 1997 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Sydney. Their joy was short lived: the following month a nanny tasked with looking after Yates' three other daughters while the pair were in Australia found opium in a Smarties tube in her home, and went to the police. Even back in 1990 at the studios, Richard was obsessed with photography, and he was able to grab a memorable snap. "I took all that material from the interview and the report to an expert on suicide and neurologists and they said: 'Without doubt that's what happened, he killed himself'. He was in good spirits but appeared very worried about the outcome of a custody suit in London. A friend of both Geldof and Paula Yates, Ms Belinda Brewin, confirms the substance of the conversation between the two. Join the conversation, you are commenting as. Thats what he said to me.. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. The Top 10+ Who Is The New Lead Singer Of Inxs He did not sound depressed during the conversation. "The suicide specialist said it's usually a craze of people who do attempt suicide that they always discuss it or bring it up in a flippant ways. One recording session was abandoned when a drunken Hutchence bellowed, "We need more aggression on this track", before forcefully shoving a microphone through the strings of Andrew Farriss's acoustic guitar. "And then he gets through 27 and he says, 'I'm a survivor'. Their first three albums established them as one of the top bands in Australia, with each record moving them further up the charts. The rock star who had a Mick Jagger-meets-Jim Morrison aura captured on hits such as New Sensation and What You Need was just 37 years old. New South Wales State Coroner Derrick Hand had found traces of alcohol, cocaine, codeine, Prozac, Valium, and various benzodiazepines in his blood and urine. And the last time I saw his face, he was smiling at me as he walked out the door. The 18th anniversary of legendary INXS lead singer Michael Hutchences death is on Sunday and a new book will capture him in some of his most intimate moments. Pic: Marc Berry Reid, The singer found it hard to come to terms with his own success. Hutchence then called his ex-girlfriend Michelle Bennett and told her he was very upset on a call at 9:54 a.m. She immediately rushed over. With 1984's The Swing, they scored their first local #1 album and #1 single with Original Sin. He singlehandedly made INXS Need You Tonight video the hottest thing on MTV in 1987, and the iconic clip with the singer seducing the masses in a leather jacket and pants, sans shirt went on to win Video of the Year at the 1988 VMAs. She lost custody of her eldest three children, again, with Geldof this time being awarded full custody. The couple was also in the middle of a custody battle for Yates and Geldofs three daughters. Shortly after Hutchence's death, Sir Bob gained custody of his children with Yates, Fifi, Peaches and Pixie. Don't miss out on the headlines from Law & Order. His mood was "elevated however pensive when discussing court proceedings". Who Was Lead Singer Of INXS After Michael Hutchence? And for somebody whose job was to write words, I always found that strange.. This story has been shared 146,672 times. Those were the findings announced by state Coroner Derrick Hand on Friday morning in New South Wales, Australia. She provided background to the custody dispute between her and Sir Robert Geldof. ', 'In the last 19 years, looking, searching, talking to people, I have found all three things to be plausible, but I still don't have a solid answer.'. Documentary on J.D. Fortune, One-Time INXS Singer, Gets World Premiere Between 11pm and 5am the next day he was with his onetime lover, actor Kym Wilson, and her then boyfriend Andrew Rayment at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. If you would like to support me on Patreon please visit https://www.patreon.com/scottontapeFollow my Instagram https://www.instagram.com/scottontapeIf you wo. ', 'I don't need to be dropping off in a hotel bath. Hutchence's death was ruled a suicide, but a distraught Paula Yates refused to believe this, speculating it may have been a case of autoerotic asphyxiation gone awry. An analysis report of Hutchence's blood indicates the presence of alcohol, cocaine, Prozac and prescription drugs. None of us felt like we really knew him.". As the singer and frontman for the popular Australian rock band INXS, Michael Hutchence was loved by many. Blood tests confirmed the presence of alcohol, cocaine, Prozac and prescription drugs in his system. Now an award-winning professional photographer, in 1990 Richard Simpkin was a 16-year-old fanatical INXS fan, and while the band were recording the album X, Richard and his friends spent endless hours at the now defunct but iconic Rhinoceros studios in Sydneys Surry Hills. And I said, Michael, lets cancel the Australian tour. And he goes, I could never do that. The other one where he is riding the push bike is great, because most people would dress casually if they were going out to ride their bike. And what would Michael be doing now, if he was still around? He singlehandedly made INXS' "Need You Tonight" video the hottest thing on MTV in 1987, and the iconic clip with the singer seducing the masses in a leather jacket and pants, sans shirt went on to win Video of the Year at the 1988 VMAs. However, there is no forensic or other evidence to substantiate this suggestion. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Hutchence was found at 11.50am, naked behind the door to his room. Ms Kym Wilson and Mr Andrew Rayment were with the deceased in his hotel room from sometime after 11pm and left about 5am. INXS's new sensation: a fourth lead singer | INXS | The Guardian