Australian Rock Legend Chrissy Amphlett Has Died

Legendary Australian rocker Chrissy Amphlett, lead singer of The Divinyls, has passed away after a battle with cancer at the age of 53, her husband Charley Drayton has confirmed this afternoon.

He issued the following statement:

"Our beloved Chrissy peacefully passed this afternoon

Christine Joy Amphlett succumbed to the effects of breast cancer and multiple sclerosis, diseases she vigorously fought with exceptional bravery and dignity.  She passed gently, in her sleep, surrounded by close friends and family, including husband of fourteen years, musician Charley Drayton; her sister, Leigh; nephew, Matt; and cousin Patricia Amphlett (“Little Pattie”).

 Chrissy's light burns so very brightly. Hers was a life of passion and creativity; she always lived it to the fullest. With her force of character and vocal strength she paved the way for strong, sexy, outspoken women. 

Best remembered as the lead singer of the ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, Divinyls; last month she was named one of Australia's top ten singers of all time.  Chrissy expressed hope that her worldwide hit “I Touch Myself” would be utilized to remind all women to perform annual breast examinations.

Chrissy was a true pioneer and a treasure to all whose lives her music and spirit touched."

Amphlett was born in Geelong in 1959 and formed the Divinyls with Mark McEntee, Jeremy Paul and Bjarne Ohlin in Sydney in 1980. The focal point of the band, much was made of Amphlett's aggressive onstage behaviour and tough demeanour in front of rough rock'n'roll audiences.

The band's first LP Desperate debuted in the top five upon its release in 1983, thanks greatly to the singles Boys In Town and Science Fiction and the reputation the band had earned from their work in the clubs and pubs of the Australian rock scene.

The second LP, 1985's What A Life! spawned a couple more major hits, most notably the iconic Pleasure and Pain, which did good business on the charts in Australia and saw the band make a splash in the United States, with the song getting to 12th spot on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks.

But it was 1990's I Touch Myself that saw the band achieve their greatest success, hitting the number one spot on the Australian charts, going top ten in the UK and top five in the US. The group eventually split early in 1997, though went on to reform and perform shows between 2006 and 2009.

Although remembered primarily as a singer Amphlett proved herself early on as an actor in Monkey Grip and went on to do theatre playing Judy Garland in The Boy From Oz.

The performer, who in 2007 revealed she suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. She married Drayton, who joined the Divinyls in the early-1990s and is the current drummer for Cold Chisel, in 1999.

Her cousin, 1960s Australian pop star Little Pattie, praised Amphlett's toughness in the industry when interviewed by the ABC in 2007.

"We've had similar upbringings and yet such different lives in terms of our music," she said. "She was the wild rock chick from an early age, whereas I wasn't like that. She loved to perform from an early age and she's had a very different personal life. She's fought off the demons that I didn't have to fight off, and she's won."

Last March Amphlett shared her physical struggles with her fans through a very personal Facebook post.

"My illnesses have really exhausted this little body of mine that I have thrown from one end of a stage to another and performed thousands of shows thats sadly some of you missed. With that said I am getting stronger but there is still some fine tuning and work to be done on myself. It's a different self but my voice is strong and not affected by the MS as some reviewers have cruelly reported. I can walk altho sometimes I wobble but try to wobble with the beat.

"I don't reach out to people and talk about what I go through as we are all going through something and for someone who once was fancy free I have all of this in my life "So I Know". I am grateful to have the knowledge that all of this has shown me and I feel privledged that I am strong enough to "know" and share that it's really alright.I will sing again,I will perform again but this time "I know" I hope you understand what I mean and if you don't you will one day and be grateful.Yes Lawrence What A Life and this is Life.We must never be afraid."

This afternoon Damien Trotter, Managing Director SonyATV/EMI Publishing Australia, paid tribute to Amphlett when asked for comment by theMusic.com.au.

"Australia today bids farewell to a true original and a rock goddess of the first order in Chrissy Amphlett. Chrissy's incredible songwriting on such classics as I Touch Myself, Boys in Town and Science Fiction along with her unique vocal style, provocative and daring stage presence, paved the way for a generation of female artists that followed. There has only ever been and only ever will be, one Chrissy Amphlett and on behalf of SonyATV/ EMI Music Publishing Australia, I extend my heartfelt condolences to Charlie and the rest of her family."