Australian rock legend Gary “Angry” Anderson, the unmistakable frontman of Rose Tattoo, has died aged 79, just one day after Adelaide had originally been due to host the band’s final South Australian show.
The Anderson family and Rose Tattoo confirmed the news on Wednesday, saying Anderson passed away on September 21 surrounded by loved ones in Australia.
“Angry was a devoted father, and much-loved bandmate, friend, and member of the wider music and entertainment community. His loss will be deeply felt by all those who knew and loved him both here in Australia and overseas,” the family and band said in a statement.
The family has not announced a cause of death. Anderson had suffered a cardiac arrest while touring Europe with Rose Tattoo in August, resulting in his hospitalisation and the cancellation of the remainder of the band’s European tour.
The band’s upcoming Australian shows were subsequently postponed to 2027 due to Anderson’s ill health.
Among them was an Adelaide performance at The Gov on Sunday, September 20, which had been specifically billed as Rose Tattoo’s “FINAL SA SHOW” as the band prepared to call time on touring after 50 years.
The band had also been due to return to South Australia later this year, joining Suzi Quatro, Jon Stevens, Baby Animals and The Screaming Jets at the Red Hot Summer Tour at Seppeltsfield Wines in the Barossa Valley on December 5.
It would have marked another chapter in Anderson and Rose Tattoo’s extraordinarily long connection with Adelaide, stretching back almost to the beginning of the band itself.
Rose Tattoo formed in late 1976, with Anderson recruited as frontman after his time with Melbourne band Buster Brown. Just months later, records show the band playing the Largs Pier Hotel on July 20, 21 and 24, 1977, placing Adelaide among the cities Rose Tattoo were tearing through during their earliest days.
By February 1978, they were back for six consecutive nights at the Arkaba Hotel, with further Adelaide shows the following year at venues including the Tivoli Hotel, Glenelg’s Pier Hotel and Elizabeth Rugby Club.
Decades later, Anderson became part of another memorable piece of Adelaide music history.
In 1992, he toured Australia as King Herod in the blockbuster production of Jesus Christ Superstar, alongside John Farnham, Jon Stevens, Kate Ceberano, John Waters and Russell Morris. During the sold-out Adelaide run, members of the cast headed to the small Cargo Club on Hindley Street one night and unexpectedly took to the stage for an impromptu performance.
ABC Adelaide revisited the night earlier this year, with former Cargo Club operator Renato Capoccia recalling that “the place erupted”.
Anderson was still performing for Adelaide audiences this year. Rose Tattoo played its 50th Anniversary Tour at the Bridgeway Hotel in Pooraka on May 9, with concert records confirming Anderson and the band took to the stage that night.
Across five decades, Anderson became one of Australian rock’s most recognisable figures, fronting Rose Tattoo through songs including Bad Boy for Love, Rock ’n’ Roll Outlaw, Nice Boys and We Can’t Be Beaten. The band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006, while Anderson also found major solo success with Suddenly, famously used for Scott and Charlene’s wedding on Neighbours.
His family and bandmates have asked for privacy as they grieve and said they would not be giving interviews.
Their statement ended with a simple farewell familiar to Rose Tattoo fans, “Stay young, grow strong.”
