Beloved Australian musician Gordon ‘Snowy’ Fleet has died at his home in Perth aged 84.
He passed away on Tuesday, February 18 and while no cause of death was given, he was believed to be in poor health for several years.
The English-born drummer moved to Australia as a young boy and was a founding member of legendary rock band The Easybeats, who emerged as the country’s first internationally successful rock act in the 1960s.
Fleet was born in Liverpool, England in 1940 and after relocating to Sydney he helped form the iconic Aussie rock band with his close friends.
He was the drummer of the band for their most successful years from 1964 to 1967 and earned his place in rock history by coming up with the band’s name, which was a tribute to The Beatles.
The energetic musician played drums on the band’s most successful track, Friday on my Mind, which was the first Aussie song to crack the US top 20.
Beloved Australian musician Gordon ‘Snowy’ Fleet died earlier this week at his home in Perth aged 84
Fleet also played on the band’s other iconic tunes, including She’s So Fine, Sorry and Wedding Ring.
He quit the band in 1967 and went on to form his own building company in Western Australia, which he continued to operate until his death.
With his passing, only one member of the band is still alive – lead guitarist Harry Vanda.
In 2017, the ABC made a mini-series called Friday On My Mind about The Easybeats’ meteoric rise to fame and Fleet was portrayed by Napoleon actor Arthur McBain.
Fleet is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Maureen, and their two children.
His death comes just five months after the passing of his bandmate Dick Diamonde, who died in September aged 76.
Diamonde was born Dingeman van der Sluijs in the Netherlands in 1947 and emigrated to Australia with his parents when he was a young child.
Australian music journalist Glenn A. Baker confirmed the heartbreaking news on social media at the time.
The English-born drummer moved to Australia as a young boy and was a founding member of legendary rock band The Easybeats, who emerged as Australia’s first internationally successful rock act in the 1960s
Fleet was born in England in 1940 and after relocating to Sydney, he helped form the iconic Aussie rock band with his close friends
‘The Easybeats turned Australia upside down – they were like our Beatles and Rolling Stones combined,’ Baker began.
‘Founding member Dick was, like so many bass players, a sober anchor in the band. Farewell!’
Alongside Fleet, lead singer Stevie Wright and fellow musicians George Young and Harry Vanda, The Easybeats took America by storm and at one point rivalled The Beatles in popularity.
Their 1966 hit song Friday on my Mind reached number one on the Australian charts and number 16 in America.
With his band he had several other hit singles including Good Times, which was covered by INXS and Jimmy Barnes in 1987.
Diamonde remained with the band for their entire run from 1964 to 1969, after which he retired from music and lived a quiet life.
The Easybeats were also inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005, for their contributions to the music industry.
