"He was unconscious and there was blood coming out of his mouth and ear," Christensen recalls in Mystify, the new documentary about Hutchence's life. The most famous is of him with Hutchence and then girlfriend Kylie Minogue that has been seen regularly over the years. Following roughly two years overseas, a now 17-year-old Hutchence and his mother returned to Sydney, where Hutchence was invited to join a new group called the Farriss Brothers, which featured Andrew Farriss on keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar, Garry Beers on bass guitar, and Kirk Pengilly on guitar and saxophone, with Hutchence as the lead vocalist. Another one. Between 11pm and 5am the next day he was with his onetime lover, actor Kym Wilson, and her then boyfriend Andrew Rayment at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Only three things could have happened that day, he said. Still, Carvello isnt convinced that he meant to take his own life. He goes, Things arent good, you know? And then the next one was like, Hey, are you there? In the second one, it was more like he was tired. But that whole subject keeps coming up. He was the lead singer and lyricist of INXS from 1977 until his death. He was last so prescribed on 1st November, 1997. I am satisfied that the cause of death was 'hanging'. According to the Doctor there was no hint of suicidal thinking by the deceased. "I RECEIVED a completed police brief into the death of Michael Kelland Hutchence on November 22, 1997, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Double Bay. Mr Martin refers to a note received from the deceased stating that he was "not going to rehearsals today". Here are the complete findings of New South Wales State Coroner Derrick Hand, delivered in Sydney on February 6, 1998: I have received a completed police brief into the death of Michael Kelland Hutchence on 22nd November, 1997, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Double Bay. He was aged 37. Michael may have passed due to lack of oxygen, due to sexual misadventure, or Michael was killed. Ms Bennett stated that Mr Hutchence never expressed previous inclinations regarding suicide. A maid found him naked and in a kneeling position, and, although his death was ruled a suicide, there were rumors that it was due to autoerotic asphyxia. They will of course include Richard who will be attending a get-together for the late singer at the Royal Oak Hotel in Double Bay at 3pm on Sunday. Paula Yates provided a statement regarding the background to the custody dispute between her and Sir Robert Geldof. Their first three albums established them as one of the top bands in Australia, with each record moving them further up the charts. They were quite candid images of him,' Richard said. X had sold a few million copies worldwide and shot two further singles into the US top 10: Suicide Blonde, which Hutchence had written about former fling Kylie Minogue's bottled hair colour, and the dreamy Disappear. Advertisement. The deceased's father, Kelland Hutchence, dined with him the previous night. This was only the beginning of his erratic behaviour. Pic: Marc Berry Reid, Hutchence tried to laugh off the slight, but was hurt by Gallagher's words, Hutchence pictured with Yates and her daughters. 'It'll be a cross between family, friends and fans. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. He spread open his arms and joked: This is the famous Rhinos kitchen!. He did not sound depressed during the conversation. Shortly after Hutchence's death, Sir Bob gained custody of his children with Yates, Fifi, Peaches and Pixie. Lowenstein - who was close to them both during their relationship - says it was a partnership based on real affection. In the span of a few albums, Hutchence became a rock god. 'I found out through my photographic work since that it's hard to get a picture taken with a group of guys like this, so I was lucky to be part of it,' Richard said. The band's original frontman, Michael Hutchence, committed suicide in 1997. "Things got worse," Tim Farriss recalls. 02:57 GMT 19 Nov 2017 Michael Hutchence dined with his father Kelland Hutchence the night before he died. Hutchence's father Kel died aged 78 in 2002. However, tours of South Africa, Europe and America had been well-received and well-attended, and as the band returned to Australia in November, they hoped a 13-show tour of the country to mark their 20th anniversary would provide the nostalgia boost necessary to punt the album back up the charts. Earlier this year, Rhett issued a statement on social media on what would have been Michael's 57th birthday. Don't have an account? He had apparently hanged himself with his own belt and the buckle broke away and his body was found kneeling on the floor and facing the door. At 9.54, Hutchence made his final phone call, to ex-girlfriend Michle Bennett, crying and pleading to see her. "I believe he would have been proud of the end result. Elegantly Wasted was not celebrated as the return to form they had hoped, debuting at #14 in Australia, #16 in the UK, and like their last album failing to crack the US top 40. Three years later, the group released its 1980 self-titled debut album, which spawned the Australian hit Just Keep Walking., As lead singer, Hutchence took the band from a group that had success in their native Australia to worldwide fame with the 1985 album Listen Like Thieves, the 1987 LP Kick and 1990s X.. Pic: Marc Berry Reid, He battled to balance his pop persona with artistic integrity. So when Michael Hutchence died on the day of a rehearsal for the bands 20th-anniversary tour on November 22, 1997, shockwaves reverberated around the world. Michelle Bennet, [sic] a former de-facto of the deceased, received two telephone calls from him on the morning of the 22nd November. A post-mortem examination found alcohol, cocaine, codeine, Prozac, Valium and other prescribed benzodiazepines - or 'benzos' - in Hutchence's urine and blood. Michael Hutchence, the frontman of Australian rock band INXS, was found dead in a hotel room in Sydney on November 22, 1997, aged 37. 'Michael may have committed suicide. The rehearsal was to be the last one prior to the start of the tour and was quite important. JD Fortune Became The Lead Singer Of INXS. She arrived by 10.40am, but he didn't answer his door. Michael Hutchence Was One Of The Worlds Biggest Rock Stars Then He Choked Himself To Death In A Sydney Hotel. Michael Hutchence was standing in front of a sea of 74,000 fans, his arms spread wide and his head thrown back in ecstasy. In December, 1995, Michael Hutchence was first prescribed Prozac by Dr J. Borham, a London medical practitioner to treat a pre-existing depressive problem. London psychiatrist Mark Collins was consulted by Hutchence on October 17, 1997, in regard to a minor depression being experienced by him. Advertisement Actress Kym Wilson was the last person to see Hutchence alive, when she visited him in his hotel room the previous evening. By the early 1980s, INXS new manager, Chris Murphy, helped the band sign a five-album record deal with Deluxe Records, a Sydney independent label run by Michael Browning, who used to manage fellow Australian rockers AC/DC. We were the only ones there and he was very casual and relaxed, Richard told Daily Mail Australia. Formed in 1977 around the three Farriss brothers Andrew, Tim and Jon and a handful of their mates, by early 1980, INXS had secured a shrewd manager who negotiated the band a five-album record deal. Yates and Hutchence had first met back in 1985, but after their infamous "boudoir" interview on Big Breakfast in 1994, (where she interviewed guests on a lavish double bed) the two finally became a couple. It's fitting that Hutchence's daughter with Yates, Tiger Lily, has also played her part in the making of the documentary. and she said 'I've never received anything from anyone.'". "He'd burst into tears and say, 'It's all about taste and smell that I'm so depressed If I have a baby, I won't be able to smell my own child.'". Confused, she left. As Richard's career as a photographer took off in the early 1990s Hutchence would pose for him specifically as he had access to the singer whenever he was in Sydney. INXS, led by Michael Hutchence, was one of the biggest rock bands in the world in the late 1980s and early 1990s; the band is pictured here at the Miami Arena in Florida in March 1988 INXS. It got to the point it was embarrassing.. From that moment on, all I did was hear about Tiger, said Troup. I am satisfied that she was hearing the telephone conversation between the deceased and Geldof. Then I spent an hour with him going through the studio and he gave me a tour of it. November 27, 1997. Yates was considered a love rat and constantly hounded by the press. But the Canadian musician's lower lows are the . On Sunday many people will gather to celebrate Hutchence's life and focus on his achievements. "It was totally live, and Michael sang with such emotion: 'I am searching, I am not alone.' Soon after his death, the family discovered that three Gold Coast properties, a luxury waterfront mansion on the Isle of Capri where he hosted his sister Tina's wedding, a villa in France, a house in London, an Indonesian development and numerous other assets were not technically his. And yesterday, as distraught Paula began her journey back to Britain with the ashes of her dead lover, the chambermaid who discovered the INXS singer's body spoke for the first time about her horrific experience. And suicide can be a byproduct of traumatic brain injury.. I am also satisfied there was no other person involved in causing the death. "It is one of the greatest performances we ever gave on television," he continued. Hutchence decided to use the European trip to visit his girlfriend, supermodel Helena Christensen, in Copenhagen. He singlehandedly made INXS' "Need You Tonight" video the hottest thing on MTV in 1987, and the iconic clip with the singer seducing the masses in a leather jacket and pants, sans shirt went on to win Video of the Year at the 1988 VMAs. And he was very sensitive. But Yates, meanwhile, suggested that he died accidentally during an attempt at autoerotic asphyxiation in which the sensation of orgasm is heightened by the restriction of oxygen. Michael had to wipe his eyes and go out there and sing Searching. A statement obtained from Gail Coward, the occupant of the room directly next to Hutchence, alludes to her hearing a loud male voice and expletives emitting from his room about 5am. "When we got to Helena and her story, and finally got to the full unedited autopsy report, suddenly everything became clear, that was light bulb moment.". The second call from Hutchence was then received by Geldof. While he agreed that autoerotic asphyxiation may have led to the death, he stated firmly that there was simply not enough evidence to claim as much. May I offer to the family of Michael Hutchence my sincere condolences on their sad loss. It was July 13, 1991, and the sold-out Wembley Stadium crowd was the biggest INXS had ever played to. Thats why he could do it. She provided background to the custody dispute between her and Sir Robert Geldof. She rang the hotel immediately and the telephone rang out. For the first time, Daily Mail Australia can reveal a full copy of Mr Hand's report. :: Listen to the Backstage podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images The resulting album, Full Moon, Dirty Hearts only reached #53 in America, although it did well in the UK and Australia, reaching #3 and #4 respectively. log in. He had recently become obsessed with the grunge music coming out of Seattle and feared his band would be left behind if they didn't adapt to this dark new sound. Hutchence had been hoping Yates would visit Australia with their 16-month-old daughter Tiger Lily and two of her three daughters with Geldof, ahead of the last leg of an INXS world tour. On consideration of the entirety of the evidence gathered I am satisfied that the deceased was in a severe depressed state on the morning of the 22nd November, 1997, due to a number of factors, including the relationship with Paula Yates and the pressure of the ongoing dispute with Sir Robert Geldof, combined with the effects of the substances that he had ingested at that time. At the time of Michael's death in 1997, he and his then-partner Paula Yates were fighting a very public custody battle over her three children with Sir Bob Geldof. He began taking a lot of Prozac Traumatic brain injury is something that we know about now through football players. I would never do that to the fans in Australia.. "He was a dick and it wasn't him, that's the thing. "When you look at the Bob and Paula thing in a Freudian context, you've got a father of three daughters and a mother with an instant family, and Michael goes off with the mother and destroys the family. Gribbin's predecessor, Fortune, was hired and fired twice in six years; in a recent . Michael Hutchence was found dead at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Double Bay, Sydney. The second call was received by Geldof about 5.30am on 22nd November, Sydney time. Richard jumped in and had a picture taken with them. "He'd been ripped out of high school at 15 and press ganged into a band, which he was quite willing to do. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. While his brain injury no doubt fuelled his depression and subsequent struggles, suicide was a theme Hutchence returned to during the course of his life. He had also started dating Paula Yates, who was, at the time, married to Boomtown Rats vocalist Bob Geldof. Coroner Derrick Hand retired in 2000 after a distinguished 47-year career in the state's courts. This story, although based on zero evidence, spread throughout the tabloids, and is widely believed to this day. Hutchence'sbrother Rhett has even recently suggested Michael could have been killed by someone else. Photographer Chris Cuffaro, who first shot the INXS singer during the Kick tour in 1988, described Hutchence as the nicest guy in the world., I was backstage with him, and he was wearing Doc Martens, and I said to him, Ive never worn Doc Martens, recalled Cuffaro. The night before his death Hutchence shared dinner with his father Kel. Kylie Minogue, who dated Hutchence between 1989 and 1991, spent three hours talking to Lowenstein in London, then three more in Australia. In his documentary about the singer's life, Mystify, he says it was that one event - a punch from a taxi driver outside a pizza shop in Copenhagen in 1995 - that changed everything. Hutchence sounded as if he was affected by something and was slow and deep. It didnt take long for the band to gain traction in the industry. Sadly, at the end, Hutchence lost his battle with the demons inside. Gribbin is INXS's fourth singer since 1977, the best-known being Michael Hutchence, who killed himself in 1997. He couldn't smell, he couldn't taste, he was drinking wine by the bottle 'cause it was just like nothing to him.''. The rock star who had a Mick Jagger-meets-Jim Morrison aura captured on hits such as New Sensation and What You Need was just 37 years old. Mr Martin refers to a note received from the deceased stating that he was 'not going to rehearsals today'. For those in need of support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Hutchence poses for a picture taken by Richard. by DAN LYBARGER Special to the Democrat-Gazette | April 3, 2020 at 1:47 a.m. INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence appears in a scene for his longtime collaborator Richard Lowenstein's documentary .