LEGENDARY singer Judith Durham has died at the age of 79 after a long battle with lung disease.
The Seekers singer died in Alfred Hospital in Melbourne on Friday night after suffering complications from her illness.
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She made her first recording at 19 and rose to fame after joining The Seekers in 1963.
The group of four became the first Australian band to achieve major chart and sales success in the UK and the United States.
They sold an incredible 50 million records.
And their hits included The Carnival is Over, I’ll Never Find Another You, A World of Our Own and Georgy Girl.
Durham embarked on a solo career in 1968 but recorded with The Seekers again in the 1990s.
Her bandmates Keith Potger, Bruce Woodley and Athol Guy said their lives had been changed forever by losing our treasured lifelong friend and shining star.
“Her struggle was intense and heroic, never complaining of her destiny and fully accepting its conclusion,” they said.
“Her magnificent musical legacy Keith, Bruce and I are so blessed to share.”
Tributes flowed for the beloved singer, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese describing Durham as a national treasure and an Australian icon.”
Judith Durham gave voice to a new strand of our identity and helped blaze a trail for a new generation of Aussie artists, Albanese wrote on Twitter.
Her kindness will be missed by many, the anthems she gave to our nation will never be forgotten.
In her home state Victoria, Premier Dan Andrews said Durham had conquered the music world both in Australia and overseas.
He said: “With her unique voice and stage presence leading The Seekers, the band became one of Australia’s biggest chart toppers.”
Arts minister Tony Burke added: “Once, the best known Australian voice was Judith Durham’s.
“With The Seekers and solo Judith earned her place as an icon of our music”, he added.
Burke recounted one 1967 gig that was attended by a tenth of Melbourne’s entire population at the time.
“What a contribution. What a loss.”
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