Australia (AP) Judith Durham, Australia’s folk music icon, who rose to international recognition as the lead singer from The Seekers, has died. She was 79.
Judith Durham passed away in Alfred Hospital in Melbourne on Friday night following complications from a lung condition, Universal Music Australia and Musicoast announced in a statement released on Saturday.
She recorded her first single at the age of 19 and gained fame after she joined The Seekers in 1963. The quartet was the first Australian band to reach huge commercial and chart success both in The U.K. and the United States and eventually sold 50 million albums.
International hit songs include “The Carnival is Over,” “I’ll Never Find Another You,” “A World of Our Own” and “Georgy Girl.”
Durham began an individual career in 1968, but he was recorded by The Seekers again in the 1990s.
Her bandmates from The Seekers — Keith Potger, Bruce Woodley, and Athol Guy — shared that their lives had been altered forever when they lost “our treasured lifelong friend and shining star”.
“Her fight was hard and courageous Never complaining about her fate, and completely accepting the outcome. Her incredible music heritage Keith, Bruce, and I are blessed to have it to share,” they said.
A tribute to the singer’s beloved Premier Anthony Albanese describing Durham as “a national treasure and an Australian icon.”
“Judith Durham gave voice to a new strand of our identity and helped blaze a trail for a new generation of Aussie artists,” Albanese tweeted on Twitter. “Her kindness will be missed by many, the anthems she gave to our nation will never be forgotten.”
In her home state of Victoria Victoria’s Premier Dan Andrews said Durham had taken over the world of music, both in Australia as well as overseas.
“With her unique voice and stage presence leading The Seekers, the band became one of Australia’s biggest chart-toppers,” he added.