Former lead singer of The Seekers Judith Durham has died at 79, and is being remembered for her kindness, generosity and distinctive, angelic voice.
The music icon passed away last Friday night in the palliative care unit at Alfred Hospital in Melbourne after complications resulting from chronic lung disease.
Her bandmates from The Seekers’ Athol Guy, Bruce Woodley and Keith Potger released a statement, expressing their grief over losing their “treasured lifelong friend and shining star”.
“Her struggle was intense and heroic, never complaining of her destiny and fully accepting its conclusion. Her magnificent musical legacy Keith, Bruce and I are so blessed to share,” Athol Guy said.
Potger spoke on ABC Radio Melbourne this morning, reflecting on his former bandmate.
“It was really quite extraordinary how that bond developed so quickly and strongly,” he said, referring to the initial stages of their career together. “We felt that we were sharing the whole ride together.”
He also commended Durham’s advocacy in creating awareness of degenerative diseases. Durham’s husband, Ron Edgeworth, died in 1994 from motor neurone disease at the age of 56.
“It made quite a difference to the awareness of that issue, and to see her unfailingly help to raise funds… that was quite remarkable in her generosity of spirit,” Potger said.
The skies above just gained a voice of an angel 👼 RIP #JudithDurham
“Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more” pic.twitter.com/UncX91mtae— ANTHONY CALLEA (@AnthonyCallea) August 6, 2022
On Twitter, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described Durham as “a national treasure” who “gave voice to a new strand of our identity.”
Other industry figures have expressed their sadness over her passing, including Julia Zumiro, Anthony Callea and Magda Szubanski, who said Durham’s “ beautiful, crystalline voice was the naive but knowing siren song of my childhood.”
Vicki Gordon, AWMA Founding Executive Producer & Program Director, published a tribute on twitter:
“It was the purity and clarity of Judith’s spirit and heart that struck me most when we met to induct her into the Australian Women in Music Honour Roll in 2019…”
“She was and will remain one of the greatest women in music of all time.”
Durham was born in Essendon, Victoria, as Judith Mavis Cock, in 1943. She trained as a classical pianist, and changed her surname to her mother’s maiden name when she was 19.
In the same year, she recorded her first EP, Judy Durham With Frank Traynor’s Jazz Preachers.
A year later, in 1963, Durham joined a trio of men who called themselves The Seekers. The band relocated to the UK in 1964, where they recorded their first No. 1 single, I’ll Never Find Another You.
They followed this with a string of Top 10 hits, including A World Of Our Own, Morningtown Ride, I Am Australian and The Carnival Is Over and Georgy Girl.
The band had three top-20 singles and two top-20 albums in the US, and sold more than 50 million records world-wide.
Marking their return to Australia in March 1967, a record crowd of more than 200,000 watched their performance at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
They were named the 1967 Australians of the Year. In February the following year, Durham made a shock announced to her bandmates that she would leave the group within a few months, just as the band were on the cusp of signing their second contract with EMI.
Their final performance took place in July that year, a performance which was broadcasted on BBC and watched by more than 10 million people.
In the decades since, the band have reunited on many occasions, performing comeback concerts and recording multiple albums with Durham as lead singer.
During the 2013 Golden Jubilee tour, Durham suffered a stroke, which affected her literacy abilities, though left her singing uncompromised.
The following year, Durham, along with her former bandmates, were honoured as Officers of the Order of Australia.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced late Sunday on Twitter that a state funeral would be held to honour Durham’s life and contribution to music.
Andrews described Durham as a “true icon of Australian music”.
“Her memory will not only live on in her numerous hit songs, but in the hearts of generations of Victorians and Australians,” he tweeted.