Australian music icon Vince Lovegrove has died after rolling his Kombi van just outside of Byron Bay yesterday, SMH reports.
Lovegrove formed The Valentines in the 1960s sharing the lead vocals with Bon Scott, who he later introduced to ACDC. The band disbanded September 1970 after becoming the first Australian band ever to be arrested for possession of cannabis, which lead to a lot of unwanted publicity.
Later in life, Lovegrove worked as a journalist, television producer and band manager. His band management days saw him in charge of one of Australia’s biggest bands, The Divinyls. He withdrew as manager of The Divinyls to care for his wife and young son, Troy, who were diagnosed with HIV. Following the death of Troy in 1993, Lovegrove dedicated most of his time to campaigning for HIV awareness.
In 2008, Lovegrove wrote an in-depth piece on the life of his good mate, Bon Scott, for the Adelaide Now; you can read it here.
Watch: The Valentines – Build Me Up Buttercup
RIP Vince Lovegrove – 1948 – 2012
