Biography
Michael Hutchence entered the world on January 22, 1960, in Sydney, Australia, later emerging as the doomed lead singer of the 1980s pop group INXS. His upbringing took place mainly in Hong Kong, where at age eight he made his first professional appearance performing in a local toy firm’s television advertisement. The household relocated back to Sydney during 1972. While still attending secondary school, Hutchence teamed with keyboardist Andrew Farriss and bassist Garry Gary Beers in a band that evolved into INXS once guitarist and saxophonist Kirk Pengilly plus the remaining Farriss siblings—guitarist Tim and drummer Jon—joined the lineup. The ensemble issued its first single, “Simple Simon,” in 1980 and achieved national stardom in Australia with the 1983 arrival of its third album, Shabooh Shoobah, which also yielded modest American successes via “Don’t Change” and “The One Thing.” The Swing, released in 1984, reached the top of the Australian charts thanks to the Nile Rodgers–produced hit “Original Sin,” while Listen Like Thieves in 1985 carried the band’s robust funk-rock style to global audiences through the single “What You Need.”
Following the 1987 album Kick, which produced four American Top Ten singles including the number-one track “Need You Tonight” along with “Devil Inside,” “New Sensation,” and “Never Tear Us Apart,” the magnetic and confident Hutchence rose to international sex-symbol status. That same year he made his screen debut in the Australian rock film Dogs in Space. In 1989 he pursued an outside venture under the name Max Q. INXS’s next studio effort, X, arrived in 1990 yet fell short of matching Kick’s commercial impact. Later releases such as Welcome to Wherever You Are in 1992 and Full Moon, Dirty Hearts in 1993 likewise underperformed, prompting the group to withdraw from public view for much of the mid-1990s, a period when Hutchence frequently appeared in tabloid coverage owing to his relationship with British television presenter Paula Yates, at the time still married to Bob Geldof. INXS returned in 1997 with Elegantly Wasted, but on November 22 Hutchence was discovered deceased in a Sydney hotel room from an apparent suicide by hanging. His long-planned solo album reached stores posthumously at the close of 1999.
Following the 1987 album Kick, which produced four American Top Ten singles including the number-one track “Need You Tonight” along with “Devil Inside,” “New Sensation,” and “Never Tear Us Apart,” the magnetic and confident Hutchence rose to international sex-symbol status. That same year he made his screen debut in the Australian rock film Dogs in Space. In 1989 he pursued an outside venture under the name Max Q. INXS’s next studio effort, X, arrived in 1990 yet fell short of matching Kick’s commercial impact. Later releases such as Welcome to Wherever You Are in 1992 and Full Moon, Dirty Hearts in 1993 likewise underperformed, prompting the group to withdraw from public view for much of the mid-1990s, a period when Hutchence frequently appeared in tabloid coverage owing to his relationship with British television presenter Paula Yates, at the time still married to Bob Geldof. INXS returned in 1997 with Elegantly Wasted, but on November 22 Hutchence was discovered deceased in a Sydney hotel room from an apparent suicide by hanging. His long-planned solo album reached stores posthumously at the close of 1999.
Albums
Singles
