Michael Hutchence

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Michael Kelland John Hutchence (January 22, 1960 – November 22, 1997) was the lead singer of the Australian rock band, INXS. He was born in Sydney, but was raised in Hong Kong. He began performing at the age of eight in a local toy store commercial.

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Biography

The Hutchence family eventually returned to Sydney in Michael's late teens, and it was there that Hutchence befriended Andrew Farriss at Davidson High School on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Shortly, Michael and Andrew joined with Andrew's brothers Tim and Jon, as well as friends Garry Gary Beers and Kirk Pengilly to form their first band, The Farris Brothers which would ultimately become INXS. When in 1979 the Farriss family moved to Perth, the rest of the band followed, returning to Sydney soon after. In 1980, the group released their first album, INXS, and put out their first single, Simple Simon, which was soon followed by their first moderate Australian hit, Wishy Washy.

By virtue of his role as the band's lead singer, Hutchence became the main spokesperson for the band, and gained a reputation as a confident, sexy frontman, although his close friends and family always maintained he was much more introverted than his on-stage persona. A talented lyricist, he co-wrote almost all of INXS's songs with Andrew Farriss, who has attributed his own success as a songwriter to Hutchence's 'genius'.

In 1987, following several increasingly successful INXS albums, Hutchence appeared in the Australian movie Dogs In Space. This was followed by the album Max Q, a collaboration with Australian post-punk pioneer Ollie Olsen. In 1990, he played Percy Shelley in Roger Corman's Frankenstein Unbound.

Hutchence's private life was often reported in the Australian and international press, with a string of love affairs with prominent models and singers. In 1990, he began a highly publicised relationship with Kylie Minogue, helping to transform her image from girl-next-door (a hang-over of her soap opera "Neighbours" fame), into a sexy, edgy pop diva.

INXS spent the mid-1990s trying to develop a successful new album after a series of less-than-spectacular releases.

During this time, Hutchence's relationship with Kylie Minogue ended, and for a time he dated supermodel Helena Christensen before meeting Paula Yates. Paula and Michael's affair was soon discovered by the English press, who hounded them for photos and quotes. The pressure from the media was so intense that Hutchence once assaulted a photographer hounding him. Around this time, Yates' separation from husband Bob Geldof became official, sparking an at-times bitter custody battle over their three daughters, Fifi Trixibelle, Peaches Honeyblossom and Pixie Frou-Frou. Yates eventually became pregnant by Hutchence, and in 1996 gave birth to Hutchence's only child, a daughter named Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence.

A new INXS release, 1997's Elegantly Wasted, had barely come out when Hutchence, aged only 37, was found dead behind the door of a room in the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Double Bay, Sydney (now the Sir Stamford). A belt found at the 'scene of crime' suggested that he had hanged. The New South Wales coroner determined his death was suicide but analysis of the witness statements in the report, the lack of a suicide note and other evidence has since been interprted to suggest that the cause of death may been accidental, resulting from autoerotic asphyxiation (strangling himself while masturbating). The full Coroner's Report can be read from an external link below.

* note it is not substantiated that this is the actual Official Coroner's Report

Hutchence's long-in-the-works solo album, Michael Hutchence, was finally released in 1999, as was his third movie, Limp.

In summer 2005, a television show featured the members of INXS looking for a new singer to replace the late Hutchence. The show, which aired on CBS, was called Rock Star: INXS. The winner was Canadian singer J.D. Fortune.

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Discography

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Albums

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With INXS

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Other albums

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Collaborations / Soundtracks

  • "Speed Kills" and "Forest Theme" on Freedom Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1982)
  • "Sex Symbol" and "Jungle Boy" on Flame Fortune album (1985)
  • "Dogs In Space", "Golf Course", "The Green Dragon", and "Rooms For The Memory" on the Dogs In Space Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1987)
  • "Under My Thumb" on Symphonic Music of the Rolling Stones (1994)
  • "Baby Let's Play House" on It's Now or Never: The Tribute The Elvis (1994)
  • "The Passenger" on Batman Forever Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1995)
  • "Spill the Wine" on Barb Wire Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1996)
  • "Red Hill" on One Voice: The Songs of Chage & Aska (1996)
  • "The King Is Gone" on The Heads - No Talking Just Head (1996)
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Tributes

The 2000 U2 album All That You Can't Leave Behind includes a song titled "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of", which Hutchence's friend Bono wrote about his suicide. The song is written in the form of an argument about suicide in which Bono tries to convince Hutch of the act's foolishness. Bono characterized the song as a good old row between friends which he felt guilty that he never got to have with Hutch. Bono also dedicated an emotional performance of "One" to Hutchence on the live video Popmart: Live From Mexico City.

Singer Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran, a friend of both Hutchence and Yates (and Geldof's best man at his wedding to Yates), also wrote a song for him. It was recorded in 1996 and released on the album Medazzaland only a month before Hutchence's death. "Michael, You've Got A Lot To Answer For" included these lyrics:

Trust you to get caught up in somebody's war; you'll come out of it all intact, I'm sure.
Just remember what friends were put here for;
Michael, you've got a lot to answer for, and I know that you're gonna call... if you need me.

On INXS' last tour, they dedicated "Never Tear Us Apart" to Michael and had a screen which showed pictures of him throughout his life.

A song on INXS' new album Switch called God's Top Ten pays tribute to Michael and his daughter Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily, and another song Afterglow pays tribute to Michael alone.

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Movie Rumours

Rumours have recently surfaced that a movie will be made based on Hutchence's life. The movie is reportedly to be directed by Nick Egan, a long-time friend of Hutchence and the other INXS band members. According to the website www.TheHollywoodNews.com.

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External links

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