Australian singer Renée Geyer has died aged 69 from complications following hip surgery.
The Mushroom Group released a statement on behalf of the Renée Geyer family saying while in hospital it was discovered Geyer also had inoperable lung cancer.
"She was in no pain and died peacefully amongst family and friends," the statement reads.
"Naturally, we are all utterly devastated."
Geyer, who has long been regarded as a leader in jazz, soul and R&B is one of the most highly regarded singers in contemporary music.
She was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005; in 2013 she was the first woman to be inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame and she received the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at the Australian Women in Music Awards in 2018.
Geyer was born in Melbourne and began singing with a jazz-blues band, Dry Red in 1970 at the age of 16.
She released her debut self-titled album in 1973 which consisted of mostly R&B/Soul cover versions. Her second album, It's a Man's Man's World was released in 1974 and became her first charting album and the title track became her first top 50 single.
She had commercial success - particularly in Australia - with other songs including Heading in the Right Direction and Stares and Whispers in the 1970s and Say I Love You in the 1980s.
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"Renée was irrepressible, cheeky and loyal and her musical legacy speaks for itself, with her performing and recording career spanning five decades," the statement reads.
"Renée lived her life as she performed - on her own terms and to the fullest. Beloved and respected, she was a force of nature and a national treasure, and her passing leaves a giant void in the Australian music industry.
"We would like to thank the staff at the University Hospital Geelong for their care and consideration. In lieu of flowers, Renée would have preferred donations be made to Support Act as a way of giving back to an industry that loved her so much."
Kim Chappell
Digital journalist for ACM's regional titles. Before this role, I was the digital specialist with ACM's Agricultural division and prior to that chief of staff at The Land, where I started as a journalist in 2006.
Digital journalist for ACM's regional titles. Before this role, I was the digital specialist with ACM's Agricultural division and prior to that chief of staff at The Land, where I started as a journalist in 2006.
