Michael Hutchence

As the leader of the Australian pop group INXS, Michael Hutchence helped the group to become an international pop sensation in the 80’s.

Born in 1960 in Sydney Australia, Hutchence made his singing debut performing in a toy commercial at the age of eight. He grew up mainly in Hong Kong, but returned with his family to Sydney in 1972, where he teamed up with Andrew Farriss and Gary Beers forming the group that would eventually evolve into INXS. With the addition of Kirk Pengilly and Tim and Jon Farriss, the group debuted in 1980 with “Simple Simon.”

It was the bands third album, Shabooh Shoobah, that launched them into pop stardom in Australia, and soon they were scoring hits in the U.S. as well. Two subsequent albums, The Swing, and Listen Like Thieves, in 1984 and 1985, respectively, were also extremely successful. After Kick, in 1987, which contained four U.S. Top Ten hits, Hutchence made his film debut in the movie Dogs in Space. In 1989 he collaborated with Ollie Olsen to create the album Max Q.

INXS released albums in 1990, 1992, and 1993 which all fared badly, and the group was more or less out of the spotlight. It was during this period that Hutchence had an affair with a married British TV host, and soon became a favorite of Australian tabloids. In 1997, INXS’ long-awaited return album Elegantly Wasted, had barely been released when Michael Hutchence was discovered dead in his hotel room.

• The coroner who investigated Hutchence’s death determined it to be a suicide, but it is rumored to have been accident, perhaps while attempting autoerotic asphyxiation. Although Hutchence was naked when he was discovered, the rumors have never been proven true.


• In 2005, CBS aired a television show called Rock Star: INXS in which the members of INXS searched for a new singer to replace Hutchence. The winner was the Canadian singer J.D. Fortune.


• Hutchence's long-in-the-works solo album, titled simply Michael Hutchence, was released posthumously in 1999.