The Australian rock community is in mourning following the death of a beloved AC/DC music identity.
Irene Thornton, the ex-wife of late frontman Bon Scott, died earlier this month aged 75.
Her death was confirmed by an official AC/DC fan page on social media.
‘It is with deep sadness that we learned of the passing of Irene Thornton. Irene was married to Bon Scott from 1972 to 1977, but they remained friends until his death,’ they began.
‘She was very affectionate with fans and loved to talk about Bon Scott. We send our deepest condolences to her friends and family. May she rest in peace.’
Adelaide-born Thornton was the only wife of late legendary AC/DC frontman Bon Scott, who performed with the Aussie rockers from 1974 until his death in February 1980.
The Australian rock community is in mourning following the death of a beloved AC/DC music identity. Pictured in 1977
Irene Thornton, the ex-wife of late frontman Bon Scott, died earlier this month aged 75. Pictured together in the ’70s
The pair met in 1971 and married the following year and although they split in 1977, they remained good friends and stayed in contact until his tragic death at age 33 from acute alcohol poisoning.Â
Last week, iconic rockers AC/DC kicked off their first Australian tour in more than a decade to a packed house at Melbourne’s MCG.
Despite delivering a set that was filled with classics from their expansive catalogue, there was one iconic tune that did not get an airing.
Perhaps the band’s most well-known tune – It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)– was omitted from the set that included the likes of Back in Black, Thunderstruck, and You Shook Me All Night Long.
It wasn’t an oversight by the rock icons, though, with the band not having played the legendary tune on stage for more than four decades.
AC/DC shelved the song from their live set following the death of Bon Scott.
The song was released in 1975 and appeared as the first track on the band’s second album T.N.T.
Following Bon’s death, replacement singer Brian Johnson vowed never to perform the song live, as it had become synonymous with the original frontman.
Adelaide-born Thornton was the only wife of late legendary AC/DC frontman Bon Scott, who performed with the Aussie rockers from 1974 until his death in February 1980
Brian Johnson became the singer of AC/DC in 1980, following Bon’s untimely death. Pictured
Speaking with Noise 11 in 2020, former bass player Mark Evans, who was in AC/DC from 1975 to 1977, said despite the iconic nature of the song, it barely ever made it to the stage when Bon was alive.
‘If we played it maybe 60/70 times live that would be it,’ he said.
Mark added that one of the reasons for the omission was the logistics in pulling off the now iconic bagpipe riff the song is famous for. Â
While fans inside the MCG missed out on the legendary bagpipe strains, it was a different story outside.
An impressive 374 pipers descended on Melbourne’s Fed Square to break the record for the world’s largest bagpipe ensemble.
Playing along to the classic track, the pipers’ attempt was successful, with the previous record sitting at 333 bagpipers.
Meanwhile, founding guitarist Angus Young, 70, looked fit and full of energy as he commanded the stage with his legendary strut.
Brian Johnson, 78, also came ready to rock, showing off his biceps in a sleeveless dark blue Harley Davidson shirt.
The rocker looked to have the crowd in the palm of his hand as he belted out a string of classic AC/DC tunes.
AC/DC are set to perform a second show at the MCG on November 16 before heading to Sydney’s Accor Stadium on November 21 and 25.
From there, they will perform at the BP Adelaide 500 Grand Final on November 30 and Perth’s Optus Stadium on December 4 and 8.
The tour will wrap up at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium with two shows on December 14 and 18.
