Veteran Australian music promoter Garry Van Egmond has died aged 82.
The Melbourne-based rock promoter, responsible for AC/DC’s tours for 30 years, died on Saturday morning following complications from surgery.
He is survived by his daughter Katie, his son Christo and his grandchildren Hugo and Saskia.
Friends and family confirmed his death Sunday night.
Garry is regarded as one of Australia’s most respected music touring stalwarts, having helped sell a whopping 35 million tickets across Australia, New Zealand and Asia during his five-decade career.
Veteran Australian music promoter Garry Van Egmond (pictured) has died aged 82
He organized some of Australia’s biggest tours, including Dire Straits’ ‘Brothers In Arms Tour’ in 1986, which sold 250,000 tickets in Sydney alone.
The large volume of ticket sales for this tour earned him a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
He was also responsible for Bette Midler’s ‘The Divine Miss M Tour’ in 1978, which sold out 72 shows, Jesus Christ Superstar in 1992 and Riverdance in 1997.
The Melbourne-based rock promoter, responsible for AC/DC’s tours for 30 years, died on Saturday morning following complications from surgery. (In the photo: AC/DC running)
In 2010 he was the promoter of AC/DC’s ‘Black Ice Tour’, which at the time was the biggest selling concert in Australian history with over 520,000 tickets sold in less than three hours.
That same year, Garry was named fifth among the top 25 international promoters in the world by Billboard magazine.
Nine showbiz guru Richard Wilkins expressed sadness at Garry’s passing, calling him “One of the world’s great promoters… and a beautiful, elegant, classy guy.”
Garry’s son Christo, director of the family’s music touring company, TEG Van Egmond, expressed his grief in a statement on Monday.
“Garry was a true gentleman in the business and was highly liked and respected by the artists, managers, agents and everyone he worked with,” Christo said.
‘He was a wonderful mentor to me and I have enjoyed working with him for almost 30 years. During that time we have presented some incredible events in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. He was a fantastic father and friend to me and will be greatly missed by his family, friends and colleagues.”
TEG group chief executive Geoff Jones also said in a statement: “Today the entire TEG family expresses our sadness and mourns the loss of Garry Van Egmond.”
‘Garry was not only a highly valued colleague, but also a thoroughly decent person and a tremendous talent with the utmost integrity. His legacy will stand the test of time.”
Meanwhile, Fifa Riccobono, former CEO of Albert Music, which manages AC/DC’s music catalogue, wrote on Facebook: “I am terribly sad to hear of the passing of Garry Van.”
‘I worked on tours with Garry for four decades and he was always a pleasure to work with. A great promoter and a wonderful human being.’