Renée Geyer, one of Australia’s greatest voices, has died at age 69.
The official announcement was made by Mushroom Records.
Official Announcement
RENÉE GEYER
11 SEPTEMBER 1953 – 17 JANUARY 2023
It is with immense sadness that we announce that Renée Geyer has passed away from complications following hip surgery. While in hospital, it was discovered that Renée also had inoperable lung cancer. She was in no pain and died peacefully amongst family and friends.
Naturally, we are all utterly devastated.
Just last month, Renée sang to a full house and was looking forward to another busy year ahead doing what she loved most – performing for her loyal fans around the country.
Renée is one of the most highly regarded singers in contemporary music – her unique vocal sound influences countless singers to this day.
Renée was irrepressible, cheeky and loyal and her musical legacy speaks for itself, with her performing and recording career spanning five decades. She was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005; in 2013 she was the first woman to be inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame; and she received the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at the Australian Women in Music Awards in 2018.
Renée lived her life as she performed – on her own terms and to the fullest. Beloved and respected, she was a force of nature and a national treasure, and her passing leaves a giant void in the Australian music industry.
We would like to thank the staff at the University Hospital Geelong for their care and consideration. In lieu of flowers, Renée would have preferred donations be made to Support Act as a way of giving back to an industry that loved her so much.
Details of Renée’s memorial will be forthcoming.
Renée released her first album ‘Renée Geyer’ in 1973. It featured covers of songs by Van Morrison, Bob Dylan and Bill Withers but was widely ignored.
Her next album ‘It’s A Mans’s Man’s World’, featuring the classic James Brown song as the title track, made the song her own and Renée was suddenly noticed and recognised for her unique soul voice.
The third album ‘Ready To Deal’ broke her through to the Top 40 chart with the soulful ‘Heading In The Right Direction’. The song reached no 31 on the Top 40 chart.
1977 and the ‘Moving Along’ album took her Top 20 with ‘Stares and Whispers’.
The first Top 10 hit came via the ‘So Lucky’ album in 1981. ‘Say I Love You’ reached no 5.
Renée’s final album was ‘Swing’ in 2013 for Robert Rigby’s Ambition Entertainment. The album has now become a bookend to her career ending with the song she started with ‘It’s a Man’s Man’s World’. Her final music video was ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’ from the ‘Swing’ album.
Renée has sung on albums Sting, Russell Morris, Jackson Browne, Paul Kelly, Jimmy Barnes, Hoodoo Gurus, Even, Toni Childs, Vika & Linda, Cold Chisel, Dragon, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Diamond, Buddy Guy, Joe Cocker, Men At Work, Ian McLagan and Adam Harvey.
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