Remembering INXS’ Michael Hutchence

A look back at the front man, who we lost on this day in 1997

I know who I am and what I do.

Good morning!

Today, we’re remembering INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, who we lost on this day in 1997

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In the late ’80s, America was captivated with all things OZ, from movies (Crocodile Dundee) to caricatures (Yahoo Serious, Jacko Jackson selling Energizers) to music.

Bands like Midnight Oil made an impact, as did critic darlings like the Go-Betweens. But none more so than INXS and their lead singer, Michael Hutchence.

The band first made their mark stateside with 1982’s Shabooh Shoobah, and for a lot of us, our first look at the band — and Hutchence — was on MTV. Singing from the back of a truck for the “Don’t Change” video, the group drove right up the charts and secured the spot in the rarefied air of pop culture.

Their unique sound got our attention, but Hutchence’s larger-than-life-stage persona kept it. He appeared to love the idea of being a showman, seemingly at odds for a man his half-sister described as being terribly introverted.

“All of a sudden, he walked out and he [saw] the people, [and] his face changed,” she recalls in the film. “He started enjoying himself. He started winking at me. It surprised me because he was a shy kid. … When he said he was going to sing with this band, that just surprised the heck out of me. Here’s this kid who didn’t want to walk into a room full of people, let alone sing.”

The band followed Shabooh Shoobah with 1984’s The Swing and ‘85’s Listen Like Thieves but hit critical mass with 1987’s Kick. The record spawned 4 top 10 singles in the US.

I know who I am and what I do.
~Michael Hutchence

Kick wiped away any doubt of their — or more, specifically Hutchence’s — star power. The album went on to sell well over 20 million copies. The band went on tour to support the record, during which Hutchnece became a world-class performer.

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Offstage, he dated other stars, such as singer Kylie Minogue and model Helena Christensen. 1992, he was out with Christensen when a cab driver assaulted him. The altercation left him with a fractured skull and a complete loss of taste and smell.

More ominously, it sparked a pattern of increasingly erratic and aggressive behavior. A short time later, Hutchence began a volatile affair with TV personality Paula Yates. Yates split from her husband Bob Geldolf, but the relationship with Hutchence buckled under the scrutiny of the press.

In 1997, INXS went back out on tour. While on a stop in Syndey, Hutchence died in his hotel room. At his funeral, “Never Tear Us Apart” was played.

Hutchence has been gone 26 years now, but his legacy lives on. The band’s records continue to sell, and their songs still see decent rotation.

Don’t change, indeed.

Do you have a favorite song or memory of Hutchence? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for being here,

Kevin—

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An earlier version of this first appeared here.