The couple was also in the middle of a custody battle for Yates and Geldofs three daughters. He singlehandedly made INXS' "Need You Tonight" video the hottest thing on MTV in 1987, and the iconic clip with the singer seducing the masses in a leather jacket and pants, sans shirt went on to win Video of the Year at the 1988 VMAs. I am also satisfied that this death is one in which nothing will be gained by holding a formal Inquest. Michael Hutchence, the frontman of Australian rock band INXS, was found dead in a hotel room in Sydney on November 22, 1997, aged 37. After speaking to Geldof, Hutchence tried to call his personal manager Martha Troup, but got her voice mail. X had sold a few million copies worldwide and shot two further singles into the US top 10: Suicide Blonde, which Hutchence had written about former fling Kylie Minogue's bottled hair colour, and the dreamy Disappear. Geldof refers to the deceased's demeanour as being "hectoring and abusive and threatening" in nature. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. [1] Hutchence was a member of the short-lived pop rock group Max Q. You feel so confident when you have that fame even when you have your insecure moments and Michael was gorgeous, inside and out. Musicians Kirk Pengilly and Michael Hutchence, of the band INXS, perform onstage, Miami, Florida, March 1, 1988. He carried the guilt of being the chosen one, and abandoning his brother for the rest of his life. "She's done plenty of interviews about Mike, but they've always been with lights, cameras, strange camera men But with me it was like two friends discussing what happened. A MAN arrested over the death of a woman whose naked body was found floating in western Sydney today was linked to the Bali Nine drug syndicate. The deceased was found at 11.50am naked behind the door to his room. Richard went on to become a professional photographer and had access to take personal pictures of Hutchence like this one, Hutchence and the other INXS band members enjoy some downtime at the height of their fame, Hutchence strikes a pose for Richard. Hutchence did not sound depressed during the conversation. Just over an hour later, his lifeless body was discovered by a hotel maid. At 5am, the morning he took his life, he yelled at Geldof over the phone, who, through due to the custody dispute regarding her other daughters, was preventing Yates from bringing Tiger Lily to visit him. During the second call at 9.54am the deceased commenced to cry and according to Ms Bennett sounded 'very upset'. He lost all sense of taste and smell and his drug and alcohol use increased afterward. The band were at their commercial peak, having performed to roughly 1.2 million people during the past 10-month run, and selling close to 10 million albums since 1987's Kick turned them into international superstars. But Yates and Geldof were embroiled in a bitter custody dispute and Hutchence learnt on the morning he died the children would not be coming out. But it was that personal relationship with Hutchence, as well as many of his friends and former partners, that allowed him to ask questions and get answers no other filmmaker could. A violent altercation five years before his death left the INXS star with two large areas of permanent damage, as well as robbing him of his sense of taste and smell. Register, Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout. He had his ups and downs, and he had his insecurities. Ms Bennett went to the hotel but could not rouse him by telephone or knocking on his door. He was frightened and couldnt stand a minute more without his baby, said Yates. "Then I can remember sharing a joke with Michael. He wanted to start a publishing company. But Hutchences relationship with Yates who died in 2000 from a heroin overdose also pulled him into her tabloid-frenzied custody battle with Geldof. He self-medicated. Dr Collins said there was no hint of suicidal thinking by Hutchence. That same month INXS performed the as-yet-unreleased song Searching at the ARIA Awards. He loved, loved, loved, loved that little Tiger. Hutchence dated model Helena Christensen for around four years The only other person who knew - his then girlfriend supermodel Helena Christensen - had been sworn to secrecy. Lowenstein explains: "She's an incredibly private person, so I don't feel right saying too much. 'I found out through my photographic work since that it's hard to get a picture taken with a group of guys like this, so I was lucky to be part of it,' Richard said. By the early 1980s, INXS new manager, Chris Murphy, helped the band sign a five-album record deal with Deluxe Records, a Sydney independent label run by Michael Browning, who used to manage fellow Australian rockers AC/DC. She provided background to the custody dispute between her and Sir Robert Geldof. A complex web of offshore accounts, holdings companies and various trusts were set up to hold his various assets, including the rights to his intellectual property. In 1995, Hutchence left Christensen for British star Paula Yates, who was married to Live Aid organizer Bob Geldof at the time. By 1992, INXS were on a roll. After refusing to move out of the path of a taxi, the irate driver stepped out of his vehicle and punched Hutchence; his head violently hit the kerb, knocking him out. They released a statement that weekend. Their first three albums established them as one of the top bands in Australia, with each record moving them further up the charts. 'Only three things could have happened that day,' Rhett wrote. So, what does Lowenstein think Hutchence would have made of the documentary? However, Some of Richards most prized pictures for his family photo album were taken by someone else as they pictured the young fan and Hutchence together. The band took a month-long break for Christmas and, when they returned, Hutchence had seemingly returned to normal. A statement obtained from Hutchence's mother, Patricia Glassop, confirms her opinion that he was in a depressed state. People have wanted to imply that there was some sex and drug-crazed orgy happening in Michaels room that night, said his ex Kym Wilson. @BethanyMinelle. How many lead singers has INXS had? "Michael had very violent moments," guitarist Kirk Pengilly recalled. Peaches Geldof, mother of two sons, died of a heroin overdose aged 25 in 2014. "When you look at the Bob and Paula thing in a Freudian context, you've got a father of three daughters and a mother with an instant family, and Michael goes off with the mother and destroys the family. Elegantly Wasted was not celebrated as the return to form they had hoped, debuting at #14 in Australia, #16 in the UK, and like their last album failing to crack the US top 40. 'Because the Harley had been revving for a couple of minutes it was very hot. Hutchence then called his ex-girlfriend Michelle Bennett and told her he was very upset on a call at 9:54 a.m. She immediately rushed over. Although the pair had a tumultuous relationship, Hutchence took great joy in their daughter, Tiger Lily, who was born in 1996. "He'd been ripped out of high school at 15 and press ganged into a band, which he was quite willing to do. Staying at a Ritz-Carlton in Double Bay, a suburb of Sydney, Hutchence was expecting Yates and all four daughters to come stay with him. As indicated I am satisfied that the deceased intended and did take his own life. "I had to make the film with him peering over my shoulder. A statement obtained from the mother of the deceased, Mrs Patricia Glassop, confirms her opinion that the deceased was in a depressed state. But he would start questioning everything: Its my looks, its my age, its my So I think that took a toll on him.. A coroner found Hutchence killed himself while depressed and under the influence of alcohol and drugs but there was never a public inquest into the INXS frontman's death. This incident was, however, enough to see Geldof granted temporary custody of the three eldest children, a situation that sent Hutchence and Yates spiralling. 3. Photos from Shocking Pop Star Deaths - E! That meant Yates would not be coming either. Then, in a voicemail to his manager Martha Troup at 9:38 the next morning he said: Martha, Michael here, I fucking had enough.. The other one where he is riding the push bike is great, because most people would dress casually if they were going out to ride their bike. This was due to a number of factors, including the relationship with Paula Yates and the pressure of the ongoing dispute with Sir Robert Geldof, combined with the effects of the substances that he had ingested at that time. He questioned himself, said Troup. Michael Putland/Getty ImagesINXS has sold more than 75 million records. Michael may have passed due to lack of oxygen, due to sexual misadventure, or Michael was killed. Michelle Bennett, a former de facto of Hutchence, received two calls from him that morning. And he was very sensitive. Michael Hutchence of INXS photographed in London in 1990. Michael had to wipe his eyes and go out there and sing Searching. Hutchence was not the beneficiary of these trusts and was technically bankrupt when he died, nullifying the wishes of his will, in which he left half his fortune to his daughter Tiger Lily. William West/AFP/Getty ImagesFans at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, following news of Michael Hutchences death. A maid found Hutchence dead behind his room door at 11.50am. "He was incredibly insecure, and if it had gotten out - even just between the band members - that he had serious damage to the brain, they would have come in and started writing the songs themselves. I think it was a rash act that happened in the heat of the moment, whatever happened. On this particular occasion Michael took me into the studios very late at night. His family would later say this accident precipitated the depressed phase that would later lead to his death. Join the conversation, you are commenting as. Hutchence's father Kel died aged 78 in 2002. Due to his high-profile charity work, Geldof was seen as a highly sympathetic figure in England. Between 11pm and 5am the next day he was with his onetime lover, actor Kym Wilson, and her then boyfriend Andrew Rayment at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. He got a chuckle from it though,' he said. Richard and his friend went down to find that the band were doing a photo shoot on the back of a truck. 6. Michael Putland/Getty Images Nearly 20 years after his death, charismatic INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence will be the. Given his situation, it was an emotional performance. The final set of lyrics he wrote the night he died as soon as the ink left the pen and hit the paper, they ceased to belong to him. In 1990 I got to hang out with INXS at the studios for five months. Sadly, at the end, Hutchence lost his battle with the demons inside. The coroner who presided over the inquest into the charismatic singer's strange 1997 death explains. It said he wouldnt be at rehearsals that day. Yates never recovered from Hutchence's suicide. Conmen, crooked cops, gangsters and notorious murders Andrew Rule has taken us through the darkest corners of Australias underworld. Fans at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, following news of Michael Hutchences death. She wrote a note and left it at reception. While he agreed that autoerotic asphyxiation may have led to the death, he stated firmly that there was simply not enough evidence to claim as much. Hutchence was on his Harley Davidson motorbike when 16-year-old Richard again asked for a photo and he told him to hop on.