Gary “Angry” Anderson, the Rose Tattoo frontman and Australian rock singer, has died aged 79. His death was confirmed by his family and bandmates on Wednesday, after he was surrounded by loved ones in Australia.
Anderson joined Rose Tattoo in 1976, shortly after the group was formed by guitarist Pete Wells, and remained its lead vocalist until shortly before his death.
“Angry was a devoted father, and much-loved bandmate, friend, and member of the wider music and entertainment community,” his family and bandmates said in a statement. “His loss will be deeply felt by all those who knew and loved him both here in Australia and overseas.”
The band had cancelled the European leg of its One Last Ride tour after Anderson was admitted to hospital with a medical issue. The shows were intended to be Rose Tattoo’s final performances after more than five decades on the road.
Rose Tattoo had begun the European tour in July, with nine concerts remaining when the cancellation was announced. The group had been due to return to Australia this month for farewell performances in the state capitals.
Angry Anderson’s career in music and film
Rose Tattoo’s self-titled debut album, released in 1978, was well received in Australia and overseas, reaching the top of the UK heavy metal charts.
Among the group’s best-known songs were Bad Boy for Love, Rock ‘N’ Roll Outlaw and We Can’t Be Beaten. Its track Nice Boys was later covered by Guns N’ Roses, while the band briefly reunited in 1993 to support the American group before formally regrouping in 1998.
Rose Tattoo were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006. Anderson’s solo song Suddenly became a major success after it was used during the wedding of Scott and Charlene in the television soap Neighbours, reaching number two in Australia and number three in the UK.
He also acted, most notably as the tough character Ironbar in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Much of his later screen work came in films and television programmes created by Paul Fenech, including Pizza, Fat Pizza, Housos and Dumb Criminals.
Fenech said Anderson had become a close friend over two decades, describing him as “probably the least angry person I ever met” and “the quintessential good bloke”. He recalled Anderson’s barbecues, attended by musicians from Rose Tattoo and AC/DC, as well as a motorbike trip they made to the Elvis Festival in Parkes.
Anderson’s upbringing was marked by violence and abuse. He later said his father was “a very explosive person”, while he was sexually abused by a family friend from the age of five.
He initially worked as a fitter and turner and hoped to become a guitarist before moving into singing. His shaved head, tattoos and denim-and-leather image helped establish his fearsome stage persona, despite his height of 156cm.
In later life, Anderson stood for parliament twice for the Nationals and ran as a Senate candidate for the Australian Liberty Alliance in 2016. His political views attracted criticism, although Fenech rejected the suggestion that his friend should be characterised as a bigot.
Anderson was also an advocate for prostate cancer research after several Rose Tattoo members, including Wells, died from the disease. He appeared as King Herod in the 1992 Australian arena production of Jesus Christ Superstar and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1993 for his work as a youth advocate.
David Campbell, who said Anderson had sung at his wedding in 2008, remembered him as “a great frontman with a wicked sense of humour and a huge heart”. Singer Marcia Hines described him as “one of the most kind and thoughtful guys in rock and roll”, while Liberal leader Angus Taylor called him “an Australian icon”.
Anderson’s family and bandmates asked for privacy as they grieve and thanked fans for their messages of support.
