Eurogliders songwriter and guitarist Bernie Lynch, whose songs powered the band’s defining 1980s hits including Heaven (Must Be There), has died in Perth after a battle with cancer.
by Paul Cashmere
Australian songwriter and guitarist Bernie Lynch, best known as a founding member and creative force behind Eurogliders, has died in Perth following complications related to cancer. He was 65.
News of Lynch’s passing was shared by longtime bandmate and collaborator Grace Knight, who posted a heartfelt tribute confirming he died last Thursday evening in palliative care. Lynch had been diagnosed with throat cancer in early 2024 and initially responded well to treatment, allowing him to return to work. However, later in the year further cancers appeared throughout his body, affecting his bones and organs, and his condition deteriorated rapidly. Chemotherapy was considered as a way to extend his life, but his health declined to the point where treatment could no longer continue.
Knight reflected on nearly five decades of friendship and collaboration with Lynch, describing a musical and personal partnership that began soon after she arrived in Australia in 1977. The two would eventually form Eurogliders together and spend much of their professional lives performing side by side.
Eurogliders emerged from Perth’s late 1970s new wave scene, a period when Australian music was absorbing international post-punk influences while still maintaining a distinctive local character. Lynch had previously fronted a band called The Stockings before forming Living Single with keyboardist Amanda Vincent in 1980. After recruiting guitarist Crispin Akerman, bassist Don Meharry and drummer Guy Slingerland, the group began to evolve into what would soon become Eurogliders.
The arrival of Knight as lead vocalist in 1981 proved pivotal. By the end of that year the band adopted the name Eurogliders and began building a reputation on the national pub and club circuit. Their debut album, Pink Suit Blue Day, was recorded in Manila and released in 1982. While it produced the single “Without You”, which reached the Australian Top 40, the band’s commercial breakthrough was still ahead.
That arrived in 1984 with the release of This Island. The album climbed to No. 4 on the Australian charts and became a defining record of the mid-1980s Australian pop era. Its standout track, Heaven (Must Be There), written by Lynch and Knight, reached No. 2 in Australia and also crossed into international markets, charting on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Mainstream Rock chart.
The band followed that success with the 1985 album Absolutely, which produced further Australian Top 10 singles including We Will Together and Can’t Wait To See You. Both songs were written by Lynch and demonstrated his knack for melodic pop writing paired with a contemporary new wave sound. The album remained on the Australian chart for almost a year.
At their commercial peak between 1984 and 1986, Eurogliders toured extensively across Australia and internationally, performing in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Japan and New Zealand. The group’s music blended traditional pop structures with the synthesiser-driven textures of the era, helping position them among the most recognisable Australian acts of the decade.
Behind the scenes Lynch and Knight also shared a complicated personal relationship. The pair married in 1985 during the band’s most successful period, though the marriage was short-lived. Despite their separation they continued working together in Eurogliders for several more years.
The band’s fourth album, Groove, arrived in 1988 and included the single Groove, which reached No. 13 on the Australian chart. By 1989, however, the group disbanded as musical tastes shifted and members pursued different paths.
Following the breakup Lynch explored theatre and soundtrack composition, and also worked in the fashion industry as business manager for designer Collette Dinnigan. Knight, meanwhile, launched a successful career as a jazz singer, beginning with her appearance on the soundtrack to the television series Come In Spinner and her solo album Stormy Weather.
Eurogliders reunited several times over the following decades. A reformation in 2005 saw Knight and Lynch return to touring, releasing the album Eurogliders along with the single “Hummingbird”. The band later issued Blue Kiss and the 2014 album Don’t Eat The Daisies, keeping the Eurogliders catalogue active for a new generation of listeners.
Lynch’s songwriting remains central to the band’s legacy. Tracks such as The City Of Soul and Absolutely helped define the sound of Australian pop radio in the 1980s and continue to appear on classic hits playlists. In 2017 Eurogliders were inducted into the West Australian Music Industry Awards Hall of Fame in recognition of their contribution to Australian music.
Knight described Lynch as a generous and deeply caring friend who looked after his bandmates both on and off stage, often fussing over details such as making sure everyone had food and a drink after shows. She also noted that his songs, written as a young man, continue to resonate with audiences decades later.
For Australian audiences who grew up with Eurogliders on the radio, Lynch’s work helped shape the soundtrack of the 1980s. His songs remain among the most recognisable pop recordings of that era, securing his place in the country’s musical history.
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