Veteran Australian TV star and singer Tony Healey died on Wednesday at a Gold Coast hospital, following a long illness.
The iconic performer was one of the original singers and dancers on Channel Ten’s teen variety show Kommotion from 1965 – 1967, alongside Molly Meldrum and Denise Drysdale.
The Melbourne-born performer was said to be in ill health for some time and was aged in his seventies.
A family friend confirmed the heartbreaking news of Healey’s passing on social media.
‘Vale Tony. Oh, what fun we have had over the years,’ they began.
‘Tony was in hospital with seriously reduced heart and kidney function.
Veteran Australian TV star and singer Tony Healey died on Wednesday at a Gold Coast hospital, following a long illness
They continued: ‘He appeared in the early years of the Uptight, Happening and Kommotion TV programs, and was vitally involved in Melbourne’s early days of rock-n-roll.
‘Deepest sympathy to Tony’s family and friends. As Tony would say “Bestest”.’
Healey got his big break in 1965 when he was cast as a singer and dancer on the iconic Melbourne variety show Kommotion.
For two years he enthusiastically performed for the cameras for a legion of hip teenagers in the mid-’60s.
At the time he was so popular that he had his own fan club and thousands of fans watched every week to see him perform alongside Molly Meldrum.
The show featured the good-looking cast miming along to the biggest pop hits of the ’60s, including songs from Ike and Tina Turner.
Unfortunately, it was axed in 1967 when Actors Equity implemented a ban on people miming along to recorded music on TV.
However, its legacy remains strong and in 2020 the Herald Sun named it as one of Australia’s greatest music programs ever.
The Melbourne-born performer was said to be in ill health for some time and was aged in his seventies. A family friend confirmed the heartbreaking news of Healey’s passing on social media
Healey got his big break in 1965 when he was cast as a singer and dancer on the iconic Melbourne variety show Kommotion
Healey subsequently began a career in journalism and was a long-time writer for Go-Set, one of the county’s first music magazines.
He later became one of Australia’s most renowned travel journalists and frequently documented his trips across the globe.
Many of Tony’s fans went online to share their heartbreak and condolences.
‘Still in shock that he passed on. My Condolences to his family and close friends on the Gold Coast on their loss,’ one heartbroken fan wrote.
‘I loved him on Kommotion. He was my favourite,’ a second person added.
‘Loved watching Kommotion! Remember him well,’ a third chipped in.
Tragically, Healey’s only son Eamonn died in 2019.
He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Belinda.
