Michael Hutchence

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Australian musician, vocalist of the band, "INXS." He was due to marry Paula Yates, the former wife of rocker Bob Geldof, when he unexpectedly died on 22 November 1997 under mysterious circumstance, found hanging in a Sydney hotel room. INXS had an original six-member team consisting of Hutchence, vocals; Tim Farriss, guitar; Kirk Pengilly, guitar, sax, vocals; Andrew Farriss, keyboards; Garry Beers, bass, vocals; and John Farriss, drums, vocals, forming in September 1979 in Perth. Their lineup remained unchanged through their history, playing for four years in more than 250 pub and club gigs a year, building a large and dedicated Australian rock-fan base. Beginning their career as recording artists, their first single was released in May 1980. They made a U.S. debut in March 1983, along with tours in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and around the world. Hutchence's breathy baritone and sinewy stage testosteronics made the band a stateside sensation. They began climbing the charts, hitting the top ten by 1986. Their sixth album, "Kick," in 1988, sold 10 million copies worldwide and spawned three hit singles, "Need You Tonight," "Devil Inside," and "New Sensation." The accompanying videos helped made Hutchence the hottest Aussie sexpot since Mel Gibson. In response to the female hysteria, the rest of the band deadpan, "We've gotten used to it. We hate him." Hutchence himself finds it "kind of humorous really." The son of an Australian importer, he grew up in Sydney, Hong Kong and Los Angeles. He became friends with the Farriss brothers as a teenager. "The Farriss Brothers Band" made their debut, according to legend, on the night that Elvis died in 1977. When they signed with a record company, the name "In Excess" was suggested, which they shortened to INXS for their first LP release in 1980. As a film crossover, Hutchence made his debut in "Dogs in Space," which showed for about three weeks. He made another attempt in "Frankenstein Unbound" which opened across the U.S. on 4/05/1990. As an international superstar, Hutchence was able to indulge his passion for travel, keeping apartments in Paris and Hong Kong. He met Paula Yates in 1994 when she interviewed him on her TV show, "The Big Breakfast," and they began their three-year affair. In 1996, Yates had their daughter, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily. Paula and Michael were planning to marry and move to Australia and were negotiating the purchase of a house overlooking Sydney Harbor. Michael’s drug days were allegedly over and they both were filled with promise when mysteriously and tragically in 1997, Michael was found dead in a hotel room. Paula insisted that Michael's death was not suicide but from accidental auto-erotic asphyxiation. Living a life rich in promise, with drugs allegedly behind him and the future ahead of him, Hutchence's death remained one of the sordid little tragedies that too often accompany extravagant success. Link to Wikipedia biography