Michael Kelland John Hutchence (January 22, 1960 – November 22, 1997) was the lead singer of the Australian rock band, INXS. He was born in Sydney, but was raised in Hong Kong. He began performing at the age of eight in a local toy store commercial.
Biography
The Hutchence family eventually returned to Sydney, and it was there that Hutchence joined Andrew Farriss and Garry Gary Beers in forming a group which would ultimately become INXS. In 1980, the group put out their first single, Simple Simon. With the 1983 release of their third album, Shabooh Shoobah, the band became international stars.
In 1987, following several more successful INXS albums, Hutchence appeared in the Australian movie Dogs In Space. This was followed by the album Max Q, a collaboration with Australian post-punk pioneer Ollie Olsen. In 1990, he played Percy Shelley in Roger Corman's Frankenstein Unbound.
INXS spent the mid-1990s trying to develop a successful new album after a series of less-than-spectacular releases. During this time, Hutchence had an affair with British TV host Paula Yates, who was then the wife of singer Bob Geldof. The tabloid newspapers made them front-page news. Yates left Geldof for Hutchence, and they had a daughter, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily. After Yates's death, she was cared for by Geldof.
A new INXS release, 1997's Elegantly Wasted, had barely come out when Hutchence, aged only 37, was found hanging in a hotel room of the Ritz-Carlton in Double Bay in Sydney(Now Sir Stamford, Double Bay). The New South Wales coroner determined his death was a suicide but evidence and analysis has since come forward to suggest that it may have been an accident resulting from autoerotic asphyxiation (strangling himself while masturbating). However the full Coroner's Report does not support these findings - the full report can be read from an external link below.
* note it is not substantiated that this is the actual Official Coroner's Report
Hutchence's long-in-the-works solo album, Michael Hutchence, was finally released in 1999, as was his third movie, Limp.
In summer 2005, a television show featured the members of INXS looking for a new singer to replace the late Hutchence. The show, which aired on CBS, was called Rock Star: INXS. The winner was Canadian singer J.D. Fortune.
Discography
Albums
Collaborations / Soundtracks
- "Speed Kills" and "Forest Theme" on Freedom Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1982)
- "Sex Symbol" and "Jungle Boy" on Flame Fortune album (1985)
- "Dogs In Space", "Golf Course", "The Green Dragon", and "Rooms For The Memory" on the Dogs In Space Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1987)
- "Under My Thumb" on Symphonic Music of the Rolling Stones (1994)
- "Baby Let's Play House" on It's Now or Never: The Tribute The Elvis (1994)
- "The Passenger" on Batman Forever Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1995)
- "Spill the Wine" on Barb Wire Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1996)
- "Red Hill" on One Voice: The Songs of Chage & Aska (1996)
- "The King Is Gone" on The Heads - No Talking Just Head (1996)
Tributes
The 2000 U2 album All That You Can't Leave Behind includes a song titled "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of", which Hutchence's friend Bono wrote about his suicide. The song is written in the form of an argument about suicide in which Bono tries to convince Hutch of the act's foolishness. Bono characterized the song as a good old row between friends which he felt guilty that he never got to have with Hutch. Bono also dedicated an emotional performance of "One" to Hutchence on the live video Popmart: Live From Mexico City.
Singer Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran, a friend of both Hutchence and Yates (and Geldof's best man at his wedding to Yates), also wrote a song for him. It was recorded in 1996 and released on the album Medazzaland only a month before Hutchence's death. "Michael, You've Got A Lot To Answer For" included these lyrics:
- Trust you to get caught up in somebody's war; you'll come out of it all intact, I'm sure.
- Just remember what friends were put here for;
- Michael, you've got a lot to answer for, and I know that you're gonna call... if you need me.
On INXS' last tour, they dedicated "Never Tear Us Apart" to Michael and had a screen which showed pictures of him throughout his life.
A song on INXS' new album Switch called God's Top Ten pays tribute to Michael and his daughter Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily, and another song "Afterglow" pays tribute to Michael alone.
External links
