Bob “Bongo” Starkie, guitarist of iconic Australian band Skyhooks, has passed away at the age of 73.
The group confirmed Starkie’s death in a social media post on Saturday.
“It’s with sadness in our hearts that we have to send out this news that early this morning Bob ‘Bongo’ Starkie has passed away. For the past year he has fought the brave fight against Leukemia hoping to get back on the road to perform more shows,” the post reads.
“Music was in his blood till the very end. Bob was the guitarist in the iconic Skyhooks, the youngest in the band and he embraced the theatrics from striking facial make up to unique stage costumes. The music always came first and touring and playing onstage was his absolute joy.”
Starkie’s daughter, Indiana, also issued a statement on behalf of the family: “Our Dearest Grand-Daddy-Bop has peacefully departed listening to Chuck Berry. Snuggling with his fur baby Bonnie, surrounded by friends and family. Daughters Indiana and Arabella, grandchildren Phoenix and Lucia, Partner Chrissy, great mate Ian and son in laws Simon and Chris will miss him dearly. Thank you for all your support, he has felt the love till the very end.”
Per Herald Sun, Starkie was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Luekemia in late January this year. In September of this year, the musician was forced to cancel a run of solo shows due to his health issues.
Starkie joined Skyhooks in 1973, replacing his older brother Peter on guitar.
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“I took my brother to his last Hooks gig at a private school in Donvale and I said ‘gee, I really dig this band’,” Starkie said at the time. “Loved the riffs; when I first heard [the song] ‘Carlton’, I thought ‘wow’.”
Starkie featured on all No. 1 Skyhooks albums, including the debut album, Living in the 70’s, which featured some of their biggest songs including the lead single of the same name and “Horror Movie”. The album became the highest-selling album by an Australian artist at the time. 1975’s Ego is Not a Dirty Word spent 11 weeks at No. 1 in Australia.
In the ’80s, Starkie bought and ran Collingwood live venue The Jump Club for five years, which hosted concerts from a stack of major local talent including INXS, Midnight Oil and Models.
Skyhooks eventually split in 1980, though they have performed sporadically in the years since. The group was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1992.
