Iconic Australian rocker Bob ‘Bongo’ Starkie has died, aged 73, after a cancer battle.
The Australian music industry was shocked to hear, in February, that Bob, who was the founding guitarist for legendary band Skyhooks, had been diagnosed with aggressive leukaemia.
The band took to its Facebook page on Saturday to break the news to fans, with a heartfelt tribute.
‘It’s with sadness in our hearts that we have to send out this news that early this morning Bob “Bongo” Starkie has passed away,’ they wrote.
‘For the past year he has fought the brave fight against leukaemia, hoping to get back on the road to perform more shows. Music was in his blood till the very end.’
The post continued: ‘Bob was the guitarist in the iconic Skyhooks, the youngest in the band and he embraced the theatrics, from striking facial make up to unique stage costumes.
Iconic Australian rocker Bob ‘Bongo’ Starkie has died, aged 73, after a cancer battle
The Australian music industry was shocked to hear, in February, that Bob who was the founding guitarist for legendary band Skyhooks. had been diagnosed with aggressive leukaemia
‘The music always came first and touring and playing onstage was his absolute joy.
‘The members of Skyhooks are exceptionally saddened by the loss of our bandmate, and send their condolences to Bob’s family.’
The post also included a statement from Bob’s daughter Indiana, who revealed he died surrounded by loved-ones.
‘Our Dearest Grand-Daddy-Bop has peacefully departed listening to Chuck Berry, Snuggling with his fur baby Bonnie, surrounded by friends and family,’ Indiana wrote.
‘Daughters Indiana and Arabella, grandchildren Phoenix and Lucia, partner Chrissy, great mate Ian and son-in-laws Simon and Chris will miss him dearly.
‘Thank you for all your support, he has felt the love till the very end’.
The post was met with an outpouring of condolences from fans who were quick to pay tribute to the legendary guitarist.
‘Oh no, what sad and tragic news to read this morning,’ one fan wrote.
The band took to its Facebook page on Saturday to break the news to fans, with a heartfelt tribute
‘It’s with sadness in our hearts that we have to send out this news that early this morning Bob “Bongo” Starkie has passed away,’ they wrote. ‘For the past year he has fought the brave fight against leukaemia hoping to get back on the road to perform more shows. Music was in his blood till the very end’
‘My thoughts go out to Bob’s family. Skyhooks were one of the first bands that I fan-girled [over]. Even 40-plus years later, I still love their music. RIP Bongo.’
Another offered a solemn: ‘Another shard of our youthful souls splinters.
‘Unless you lived through it, it is hard to explain the importance of Skyhooks to the self-confidence in Australian rock music they helped create. It was a magical time and Bongo was a massive part of that in Skyhooks. Vale Bongo.’
The guitarist took to Facebook in January to reveal his diagnosis.
It came as Skyhooks were celebrating their seminal album, Living in the 70’s, re-entering the ARIA top ten.
‘On Friday, January 24th, members of the iconic Australian band Skyhooks were celebrating the re-issue of their album Living in the 70’s entering the Top 10 of the ARIA charts,’ the post read.
‘However, their guitarist, Bob “Bongo” Starkie, checked himself into a hospital due to health concerns.
‘Unfortunately, the test results revealed that Bob has been diagnosed with aggressive leukaemia.’
The post also included a statement from Bob’s daughter Indiana who revealed he died surrounded by loved-ones
‘Our Dearest Grand-Daddy-Bop has peacefully departed listening to Chuck Berry. Snuggling with his fur baby Bonnie, surrounded by friends and family,’ Indiana wrote. Bob (c) is pictured with Wilbur Wilde (l) and Skyhooks bandmate Red Symons (r)
Skyhooks exploded onto the Aussie pop charts with their seminal 1974 debut album Living In The 70’s. The band were known for their flamboyant costumes and makeup and their lyrics which often referenced Australian places and culture
Skyhooks exploded onto the Aussie pop charts with their seminal 1974 debut album Living In The 70’s.
The band were known for their flamboyant costumes and make-up and their lyrics which often referenced Australian places and culture.
Never a band that was afraid to court controversy, six of the album’s ten tracks were banned from radio due to questionable lyric content.
Despite this, the track You Only Like Me Cos I’m Good In Bed was the first song played by your station Double J (later Triple J) when it debuted in January 1975.
The album went on to spend 16 weeks at the top of the Australian charts, becoming the highest-selling album by a home-grown act at the time.
In 2011, the iconic album was added to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia’s Sounds of Australia registry.
The band went on to release four more studio albums, including 1975’s Ego Is Not A Dirty Word and 1976’s Straight in A Gay Gay World.
Bob’s diagnosis came after his brother Peter, also a member of Skyhooks, died in 2020 after falling off a ladder at his home in Victoria.
The band’s seminal frontman Graeme ‘Shirley’ Strachan diesd in a helicopter crash in 2001.
