Divinyls Singer Chrissy Amphlett Dead At 53
From the archive: published Apr 22, 2013, 13 years ago. Details may have changed since.
Divinyls singer Chrissy Amphlett has died at the age of 53.
Husband Charley Drayton said she passed away at her New York home on Sunday. He explained that his wife “succumbed to the effects of breast cancer and multiple sclerosis.”
Drayton added that her life was all about “passion and creativity; she always lived it to the fullest. With her force of character and vocal strength she paved the way for strong, sexy, outspoken women.”
The Divinyls singer revealed in 2007 that she was suffering from multiple sclerosis. Chrissy Amphlett would be diagnosed with breast cancer three years later.
Although she was struggling with health problems, the singer told her fans on Facebook that she intended to return to the stage as soon as possible.
She wrote last March:
“My illnesses have really exhausted this little body of mine that I have thrown from one end of the stage to another and performed thousands of shows that sadly some of you missed. With that said I am getting stronger but there is still some fine tuning and work to be done on myself.”
Amphlett co-founded The Divinyls back in 1980. Although the band released a total of six albums over the course of their career, they are perhaps best known in the United States for their 1991 single “I Touch Myself.” The single would peak at number four on the American charts.
The Divinyls singer said after her diagnosis in 2010 that she hoped the song would help women remember to get regular breast examinations.
Amphlett and her bandmates parted ways in 1997. However, Chrissy never stopped singing. She would later embark on a successful stage career in Australia. She would go on to portray Judy Garland in a production of The Boy from Oz in 1998.
Amphlett was recently named one of Australia’s top 10 singers in history.
As a fan of the Divinyls, this writer is particularly saddened by the death of Chrissy Amphlett. Are you a fan of the singer?