Australians mourn a vocal icon

The remarkable singer Renée Geyer has died in hospital aged 69.

The child of Holocaust survivors, she described herself as ‘a white Hungarian Jew from Australia sounding like a 65-year-old black man from Alabama.’

Here’s the official death notice:
It is with immense sadness that we announce that Renée Geyer has passed away from complications following hip surgery. While in hospital, it was discovered that Renée also had inoperable lung cancer. She was in no pain and died peacefully amongst family and friends.
Naturally, we are all utterly devastated.
Just last month, Renée sang to a full house and was looking forward to another busy year ahead doing what she loved most. She lived her life as she performed – to the fullest – and her passing leaves a giant void in the Australian music industry.
Renée was irrepressible, cheeky and loyal and her musical legacy speaks for itself, with her performing and recording career spanning five decades. She was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005; in 2013 she was the first woman to be inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame; and she received the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at the Australian Women in Music Awards in 2018.
Beloved and respected by so many, Renée Geyer was a force of nature and a national treasure.
The world is a duller place for her passing.
We would like to thank the staff at the University Hospital Geelong for their care and consideration, including Neil, Jane and Toni. In lieu of flowers, Renée would have preferred donations be made to Support Act as a way of giving back to an industry that loved her so much. The Lost Dogs’ Home was another of her favourite charities.
Details of Renée’s memorial will be forthcoming.
RENÉE GEYER
11 September 1953 – 17 January 2023