World News – UA – ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Max Merritt dies at 79

ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Max Merritt best known for soulful songs « Slippin’ Away » and « Hey, Western Union Man, » Died Thursday (Sept 24) in a hospital in Los Angeles after a long battle with a rare disease He was 79 years old

Born in Christchurch, New Zealand on April 30, 1941, Merritt made his mark when he created The Meteors in the 1950s and rolled out a series of eye-catching rock ‘n’ roll acts, including « Get a Haircut » , « Kiss Curl » and « C’mon Let’s Go »

Soon Merritt and his band overtook Christchurch, and in 1962 they moved to Auckland, then Australia, where he earned the nickname « King of Soul »

With the Meteors, Merritt had a No 2 hit in Australia in 1975 with the booming ballad « Slippin ‘Away » and were signed to Arista Records in UK « Hey, Western Union Man » reached No 13

In the 60s Merritt moved to England and from the 70s he called the United States home

From his base in California, he continued to tour regularly in Australia and New Zealand until 2007, when he was hospitalized with kidney failure

In October 2007, the Australian music industry intensified with the « Concert For Max » at the Palace Theater in Melbourne Daryl Braithwaite, John Paul Young, James Reyne and Ross Wilson joined forces with over 50 musicians and 70 production crews for the event, which raised $ 200,000 ($ 191,000) to cover Merritt’s medical bills

He was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2008 alongside Dragon, Russell Morris and The Triffids

On the night, Merritt was joined on stage by fellow Hall of Fame member Kasey Chambers and Bill Chambers to perform his signature song, « Slippin ‘Away »

Wal Bishop, Merritt’s manager, shared the news of his death in a statement Friday « Max has been on dialysis three days a week since he fell ill in 2007 He really fought and will be sadly missed. all who knew and loved him, ”Bishop wrote

The late artist hadn’t been able to perform live for the past 13 years, but « when he wanted to he would go into the studio to record, » Bishop continues. « He even shot a video to accompany the songs, it’s a shame he’s not there to see it « 

Commercial organization Recorded Music NZ paid tribute to the late singer « We are extremely saddened to learn that one of our greatest of all time, Max Merritt has passed away, » reads a post on social networks « Kua hinga he totara i te wao nui a Tane We will miss you very much Max Our condolences & sympathy goes particularly to the family and friends of Max »

We are extremely saddened to learn that one of our greatest of all time, Max Merritt has passed away Kua hinga he totara i te wao nui a Tane We will miss you very much Max Our condolences & sympathy goes especially to Max’s family and friends imageTwittercom / YcVIN8iLyU

Max Merritt, Slipping Away, ARIA Hall of Fame, Western Union Man