obituaries

As Hotel California marks 50 years since its single release, Don Felder's music remains the architectural spine of The Eagles' defining work

More rare live recordings from Split Enz's pivotal 1979 Australian visit have emerged, capturing the band at a creative peak just as Frenzy was reshaping their trajectory on both sides of the Tasman.

One of hard rock's great cult albums is returning to circulation, as Armageddon marks its 50th anniversary with a newly remastered vinyl reissue. Originally released in 1975, the self-titled album by Armageddon has long been regarded as a missing link between British blues rock, progressive rock, and emerging heavy sounds of the mid 1970s.

Robert MacLean Taylor, the gifted New Zealand guitarist who helped shape the sound of one of Australasia's greatest rock bands, Dragon, has died. His passing, announced in early November 2025, marks the loss of one of the last surviving members of the band's classic 1970s lineup, and a musician whose work bridged the golden eras of New Zealand and Australian rock.

Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers has confirmed he will not attend the band's long-awaited Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction on 8 November in Los Angeles, citing health concerns.

When Elton John and Bernie Taupin released Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy in 1975, they weren't just delivering another album - they were telling their story. Now, fifty years later, the duo's most autobiographical work is being revisited in a lavish 50th anniversary reissue, restoring one of rock's most introspective and musically adventurous masterpieces to the spotlight.

Rock legend and KISS co-founder Gene Simmons is recovering at home in Los Angeles after a car accident on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu earlier this week. The 76-year-old musician was briefly hospitalised after reportedly passing out behind the wheel of his Lincoln Navigator, which veered across several lanes of traffic and collided with a parked vehicle just before 1 p.m. on Tuesday, October 7.