AC/DC's Malcolm Young reportedly in care for dementia in Sydney

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AC/DC's Malcolm Young reportedly in care for dementia in Sydney

 

It may be that dementia is claiming another giant, this time a musical one.

 

Sources connected to the Young family have said AC/DC co-founder, guitarist and songwriter, Malcolm Young, whose retirement from the band was announced on Wednesday, has been moved into fulltime care in a nursing home facility in Sydney's eastern suburbs specialising in dementia.

 

The home is understood to be, Lulworth House in Elizabeth Bay, the same facility which is also home to Gough Whitlam and, until his recent death, Neville Wran, who was afflicted with dementia in his last years.

 

According to the Young family connection, "If you were in the room with [Malcolm Young] and walked out then came back in one minute later he wouldn't remember who you are. He has a complete loss of short term memory. His wife Linda has put him in full-time care."

Both AC/DC's record company, Sony, and its label, publisher and home for more than 40 years, Albert Music, were approached for comment.

 

While the announcement of Malcolm Young's retirement from AC/DC, the band he formed and helped turn into the biggest Australian rock act of all time, has been inevitable for some months, it hasn't lessened the disappointment. Nor the sense of an era ending.

 

AC/DC has sold more than 200 million albums, feature at or near the top of highest grossing tour lists whenever they play live and were the standard bearers for Australian music years before the likes of INXS, Kylie Minogue or 5 Seconds of Summer.

 

The sound of pub rock, the defining mainstream sound of Australian music in the 1970s and '80s could be said to have emerged from the stages, and the studios, AC/DC inhabited.

 

Young, the 61-year-old rhythm guitarist and solid centre of the songs behind his flamboyant, lead guitarist younger brother, Angus, officially resigned his position in AC/DC months after returning to Australia.

 

The first official word on what was assumed to be a serious and debilitating, but still undisclosed, illness, was in April when it was confirmed that Young would not be participating in the recording of the next AC/DC album, which will be called Rock Or Bust and is due out in late November.

 

In his place during the recording sessions in a Vancouver studio has been his nephew, Steve. In an announcement from the band's management this week, it was revealed that Steve will join Angus Young, frontman Brian Johnston and drummer Phil Rudd on stage when the band embark on another massive world tour in 2015.

 

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

[CrashG]

Sad news for sure and my support goes out to his family, but as far as the band goes (if they really decide to carry on), it'll never be what it was with Malcolm (or the Bon Scott years which I prefer, Brians voice worked and put on a good show, but it wasn't the same ). It's cool they're trying to keep it in the family and it might work, It can't be any worse than Wolfgang VanHalen replacing Michael Anthony. :shiftyninja: