It is with sadness that we report the death of country legend Frank Ifield at the age of 86. The musician, who was born in the UK and grew up in Australia, was a household name in the UK during the 1960s for his catalogue of music. He moved to England in 1959 to further his career, which saw him release 44 records in just six years and become the top recording artist in Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. Ifield was given a guitar at the age of 13 and was entirely self-taught in terms of playing and writing songs.
Ifield was also instrumental in the rise to stardom of The Beatles, introducing the soon-to-be rock legends as the opening act in his live shows. He was a common sight on British television in the 1960s, famously performing for the Queen in 1965 at the Royal Variety Show. During his music career, he had four chart-topping singles in the UK: ‘I Remember You’, ‘Lovesick Blues’, ‘The Wayward Wind’, and ‘Confessin’ That I Love You’.
His death was announced by journalist and music historian Glenn A. Baker, who was a close friend of Ifield. Baker stated that Ifield passed away “peacefully” on Saturday 18 May 2030. Tributes have poured in from across the industry, including radio host Luke Davies, who said: “Very Sad to hear that Frank Ifield has passed away. He was instrumental in the music scene during the 1960’s. Although a bit before my time, I used to love playing this song on the radio… Sleep Tight Frank, I Remember You”. Columnist Pete Chambers wrote: “RiP to my great friend @FrankIfield we will always remember you, your legendary talent as a musician and above all your kindness as an extraordinary human being.” Artist John Henry Horne added: “Very sad news to hear of legendary singer Frank Ifield has died, loved his songs, what an amazing voice he had. My favs are ‘I Remember You’, ‘Wayward Wind’ & many others. My condolences to his family, friends and us his fans on this sad loss of a Legend”.
In the later stages of his health problems, Ifield was diagnosed with pneumonia in 1986, which necessitated surgery to remove part of a lung. Vocal cords were damaged during the procedure, affecting his ability to perform for several years. Despite this, he went on to receive the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1990 in recognition of his services to entertainment. He is survived by his wife Carole Wood and two children
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