Adored Australian actor and singer Jon English dies at 66
Australian musician and actor Jon English has died after complications from surgery, according to his agency.
His death at 66 followed surgery on Wednesday, Ambition Entertainment, said in a statement emailed to Mashable. His close family was by his side.
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"We were so incredibly thrilled and proud to have known and to have worked with him,"Ambition Entertainment's managing director Robert Rigby wrote. "Jon was a multi-faceted entertainer who had enormous success, not only in the music industry but also television and live theatre for over 40 years. We will miss our dear friend Jon -- a true Australian Rock God!"
Rigby said English was the top selling male artist in Australia at the peak of his career and was due to record his first album in 22 years in Sweden later this month.
The English-born rocker made his name in Australia in the 1970s playing the lead role of Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar at just 22 years of age. He went on to perform in many Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, and became one of the few Aussie performers to make a career in music, television and stage.
English recorded dozens of albums with hit songs including "Turn The Page," "Words Are Not Enough" and "Six Ribbons." He starred in local television shows, being awarded for his role in the 1978 show "Against the Wind," in which he also wrote the score. He went on to performed the lead role in the much-loved '90s TV show "All Together Now."
On Monday, an announcement on his Facebook page said English was not well and would have to pull out of planned concerts at the advice of his doctor. Sadly, he didn't recover.
On Thursday, Australian stars who worked alongside English paid tribute to the man on Twitter.
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Topics Music
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