The Australian music industry is mourning the loss of two rock legends, with Cold Chisel drummer Steve Prestwich and Sherbet guitarist Harvey James both losing their battles with cancer at the weekend.
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Prestwich, 56, died yesterday afternoon, less than two weeks after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
A hard man of Australian pub rock who could also pen a tender ballad, Prestwich, who also played with Little River Band, underwent surgery on Friday and did not regain consciousness,Cold Chisel announced on the band’s website today.
"Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss, Phil Small and Don Walker are shattered by the loss," the website said.
"All our thoughts are with Steve’s loved ones at this difficult time."
His death came one day after that of 58-year-old James, who had been battling lung cancer for six months.
The Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame guitarist was diagnosed with lung cancer in July last year and died in Melbourne on Saturday night.
He was a member of several Australian bands, including Ariel and Mississippi, before joining Sherbet, and was part of the group when it recorded its biggest hit Howzat in 1976, which was an Australian number one and top five in Britain.
James’s daughter, Alexandra James, said on the 'Send Your Love To Harvey James’ Facebook page that her father had died on Saturday.
"Rest in peace my gorgeous, funny, amazing father. We will miss you everyday forever. Xxxxxx Harvey William James 20/09/1952- 15/01/2011."
Cold Chisel, which formed in Adelaide in 1973, boasted a legendary live show and brought out their breakthrough album, Breakfast At Sweethearts, in 1979.
Songs such as Khe Sanh, Bow River and Flame Trees became the anthems of a generation.
Born in Liverpool, England, Prestwich had his first gig playing drums at the age of 11.
He moved to Adelaide when his family migrated in 1971, and two years later was a founding member of the band Orange, featuring Barnes, Moss, Don Walker and Les Kaczmarek. The following year the group changed its name to Cold Chisel.
Prestwich wrote and co-wrote and some of Chisel’s biggest hits, including Forever Now, When The War Is Over, Nothin’ But You, Monica, Best Kept Lies, and Flame Trees.
Just as wild as Cold Chisel’s concerts were the band’s off-stage fist fights, predominantly involving Prestwich and Barnes, who clashed from the band’s early days in Adelaide.
In 1998, Barnes recounted a particularly fierce dust-up between the pair following a concert in New Zealand when Prestwich, after a few drinks, accused Barnes of not singing the songs correctly.
‘‘So I just smacked him, straight in the face, right where he stood, picked him up and battered him out the door," a grinning Barnes told the Adelaide Advertiser at the time.
"We punched and punched each other all the way down the hallway."
The dispute simmered before Prestwich retorted with "My mother hits harder than you’’, sending the pair into another scrap.
But despite their regular clashes, Barnes insisted the pair were "best mates’’.
After Cold Chisel broke up in 1983, Prestwich joined Little River Band, touring the US and releasing two albums with them. Little River Band recorded When the War is Over with John Farnham.
Despite breaking up in 1983, Chisel reformed and toured twice - in 1998 and 2003.
Just last month, lead guitarist Ian Moss confirmed Chisel had reformed for new studio album to be released this year.
Prestwich’s solo career began in 2000 with the release of Since You’ve Been Gone, which was followed in October 2009 by his second solo album Every Highway.
