Bernie Lynch, the guitarist and co-vocalist in the beloved Perth band Eurogliders, has passed away. He was 65.
Lynch’s bandmate, singer Grace Knight, confirmed his passing on Facebook. She revealed that Lynch passed away last Thursday (12 March); he was in palliative care with cancer.
In her heartfelt tribute, Knight wrote that her bandmate was diagnosed with throat cancer in early 2024 and, in the early days, responded well to treatment. However, last year, cancer appeared throughout his body, “in his bones and organs,” and his condition rapidly deteriorated. He became too ill to continue chemotherapy as the cancer spread.
“I am heartbroken and don’t know how to proceed without him,” Knight continued. She wrote that in 1977, upon arriving in Australia as a 21-year-old, she met Lynch, and the pair had been in each other’s lives ever since.
“I can’t imagine what our lives would have looked like had we not crossed paths with each other,” Knight’s statement reads. “I don’t know how many shows Eurogliders have done over the years, it must be thousands, and for every single one of them, I’ve had Bernie there, standing beside me. It’s been such a wonderful, wonderful journey and I’m so very proud and honoured to have shared it with him.”
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Knight described Lynch as an “incredibly kind and caring person” who was “generous to a fault.” He’d look after his bandmates, cook for them, and make people laugh, as well as being the first to call someone up if he knew they were unwell.
Knight added that “Without Bernie’s songs, there would be no Eurogliders.” She explained, “Songs he wrote as a young man that are still being listened to, songs that 40 years later still get played on the radio, songs that people still sing along to at our shows. Songs that have bought so much joy to so many people. What a great legacy and such a fantastic contribution to the cultural landscape of this country.”
“My dear friend. We soared high, we grappled in the mud. What an incredible life we shared. I feel immense gratitude. I can’t let you go; I won’t let you go,” she wrote, offering condolences to Lynch’s family and loved ones.
Knight concluded, “My heartfelt condolences go to his family, loved ones and musical family…. we’ll all miss him very much.”
You can read Knight’s full tribute below.
Recognised as a founding member and the creative force behind Eurogliders, Lynch co-wrote and co-produced the band’s Australian #2 single, Heaven (Must Be There), which also peaked at #21 in the US.
Eurogliders are also known for other top ten singles, We Will Together and Can’t Wait To See You, with their albums This Island and Absolutely reaching the top ten on the Australian Charts.
After disbanding in 1989, Eurogliders pursued other musical projects before reuniting on multiple occasions in the following decades. The band’s most recent album, The Blue Kiss Project, was released in 2021.
