Musicians Angry Anderson performs with Slash. [Photo Credit: AAP Image/Luis Enrique Ascui]
Tough. Thoughtful. Kind. Devoted and of course, Angry.
Tributes have begun to flow for the inimitable Australian frontman, actor and advocate Gary “Angry” Anderson.
The 79-year-old rock musician died surrounded by loved ones on Monday evening, his longtime outfit, Rose Tattoo, said in a statement on Wednesday.
It comes just weeks after the group was forced to put an early end to its European tour, when Anderson suffered a cardiac arrest in early August.
The One Last Ride tour was set to be the band’s last jaunt, with Australia slated as its final leg in September.
Rock enthusiasts, musos, politicians and media personalities have remembered the Melburnian as a devoted friend and legendary rocker.
Aussie rock icon and longtime friend Jimmy Barnes said “we lost a good man this week”.
Singer, TV personality and musical theatre star Marcia Hines shared an image of a younger, singlet-clad Anderson coolly perched on a fence post.
Host of Nine’s Today Extra David Campbell said he could “never repay” Anderson for performing his hit ballad Suddenly at his wedding.
The aggro rocker was remembered as a lover-of-country and true rock-and-roll star by federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor.
Born and raised in the working class Melbourne suburb of Coburg, Anderson founded Rose Tattoo five decades ago, in 1976.
The band found early success with 1978 hit Rock’n’ Roll Outlaw and Bad Boy For Love, Nice Boys and We Can’t Be Beaten.
The outfit was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006, credited with influencing internationally acclaimed groups including Guns N’ Roses.
Guitarist Slash paid tribute to Anderson in a social media post, saying he would miss his “good friend”.
But Anderson also found success as a solo performer, actor and latterly as an advocate on prominent social issues.
He was made a Member of the Order of Australia on Australia Day, 1992, for his work as a youth advocate.
Anderson courted controversy in the late 2000s for his comments on Islam and asylum seekers, which he later partially walked back.
He endured tragedy throughout his life, surviving early abuse and the eventual loss of his son Liam, who was beaten to death in 2018.
Rose Tattoo thanked the public for their prayers and messages of support, requesting privacy for Anderson and his family.
