Michael Hutchence

The ill-fated frontman for '80s pop sensations Inxs, Michael Hutchence was born January 22, 1960 in Sydney, Australia; raised primarily in Hong Kong, at the age of eight made his professional debut singing in a commercial for an area toy company. The family returned to Sydney in 1972; while in high school, Hutchence joined keyboardist Andrew Farriss and keyboardist Garry Gary Beers in a group which would ultimately become Inxs with the subsequent additions of guitarist/saxophonist Kirk Pengilly and two more Farriss brothers, guitarist Tim and drummer Jon. Debuting in 1980 with the single "Simple Simon," Inxs became Australian superstars with the 1983 release of their third album Shabooh Shoobah, also scoring a pair of minor U.S. hits with the singles "Don't Change" and "The One Thing." 1984's The Swing topped the charts Down Under on the strength of the Nile Rodgers-produced smash "Original Sin," and with 1985's Listen Like Thieves the band's muscular funk-rock sound found international favor with the hit "What You Need."

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