Legendary hard-rock band AC/DC has paid tribute to their founding member Colin Burgess, following his death aged 77.
Burgess, an Australian drummer, was recruited to form the band in 1973, along with Malcolm Young on rhythm guitar, his brother Angus on lead guitar, Dave Evans on vocals and Larry Van Kriedt on bass.
Burgess was fired from the band the following year, after his colleagues accused him of being drunk on stage; he later said his drink had been spiked. Although he left the band, he returned to fill drumming duties in 1975.
AC/DC said on their social media pages:
“Very sad to hear of the passing of Colin Burgess. He was our first drummer and a very respected musician. Happy memories, rock in peace Colin.”
No cause of death has yet been reported.
Before joining AC/DC, Burgess played between 1968 and 1972 with the Australian rock group the Masters Apprentices, a band that was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame in 1998.
AC/DC’s current line-up consists of drummer Phil Rudd, Angus Young, Cliff Williams, Brian Johnson, and Stevie Young. The band has sold over 200million records worldwide, with their most popular hits including Highway to Hell, which reached number eight in the UK charts and number 17 in the US. The band was inducted into Australia’s ARIA Hall of Fame in 1988.
