Country music star Reg Lindsay passed away in Newcastle Hospital after a battle with pneumonia. He was 79.
Young whippersnappers might not be aware of Reg’s work, but his influence on the modern country music industry was unmistakable. He won three Golden Guitars and wrote more than 500 songs during his enduring career. He also starred in two television programs: The Reg Lindsay Country Hour and Reg Lindsay Country Homestead.
Reg enjoyed moderate success in the United States, and was the first Aussie to be honoured with a plaque on Nashville’s Walkway of Stars.
In recent years he’s been plagued with ill health. He suffered a cerebral haemorrhage at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 1994, then recovered only to suffer a heat attack. He had a triple bypass and seemed to be hanging in there until he contracted pneumonia.
Reg is best remembered for 1971 hit “Armstrong,” his tribute to the American astronauts and their historic moon landing. May he rest in peace.
Image source: State Library of NSW/Wikimedia Commons