Peter De Jong, known as the frontman of the Newcastle power-pop band Heroes, has passed away. No cause of death was announced.
De Jong’s agency, GENR8 Entertainment, confirmed his passing on social media on Thursday (10 September).
“It’s with great sadness to announce the passing of Pete De Jong,” the agency’s statement reads. “A devoted husband, a loving father, an industry legend, plus a wonderful human.
“Words cannot express how deeply shocked we all are. I’ll cherish our last phone call on Sunday 30th August 2026. Take care, my friend, until we meet again.”
A funeral for De Jong will be held on Friday, 18 September. More details will be shared soon.
De Jong rose to prominence with the local Newcastle band, Armageddon, in 1971—the group won the Newcastle Battle of the Sounds competition two years in a row.
In 1977, he formed Heroes alongside bandmates Mark Tinson, Phil Screen and Jim Porteous. The band built a dedicated, niche following across Australia, and their name grew after they performed at the Star Hotel on the night of a major riot in 1979. Cold Chisel immortalised the event with East.
De Jong assisted the police with their enquiries following the incident, Newcastle Live reports. He was subsequently arrested and charged with inciting a riot.
Following the publicity of the Star Hotel Riots, Heroes signed a record deal and recorded their debut, self-titled album with Harry Vanda and George Young at Albert Studios. The sessions resulted in the hit single, Baby’s Had a Taste, written by De Jong and landing at #2 on the local charts.
Heroes gained further attention when they appeared twice on the popular live music series, Countdown, performing their tracks Baby’s Had a Taste and Star and the Slaughter. While the band started working on their second album, it didn’t arrive until 2015.
The band’s second album, So Far, was released in January 2015 and contained the song Mistaken Identity, a track De Jong originally presented to Vanda and Young in the ‘80s.
Peter De Jong is remembered as a major figure of the Newcastle music scene. In addition to Heroes, he worked with Two Smarts and as Big Pete and remained active as a live performer.
