Australian singer Judith Durham died on Friday evening at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. As singer of The Seekers, he scored three Top 40 hits in 1965, including the Top 10 hit The Carnival Is Over. Judith Durham is 79 years old.

The sad news was announced by Universal Music Australia on Saturday morning. In a joint statement with his management, they announced that the singer died from a long-term chronic lung disease. “After a short stay at Alfred Hopsitel, Judith was transferred to the palliative department on Friday, August 5, where she died peacefully that evening.” Judith Durham is seen by many as the first Australian pop singer to achieve international success. Therefore, the Australian media also paid great attention to his death.

Judith was born Judith Mavis Cock on 3 July 1943 in Essendon, a suburb of Melbourne. She studied classical piano at the University of Melbourne, but discovered she could also sing well. In 1963 she released a solo EP under the name Judy Durham, on which she was accompanied by Frank Traynor’s Jazz Preachers. Around the same time, he joined a folk-pop group The Seekerswhere he replaced singer Ken Ray.

Apart from Judith, The Seekers consisted of Athol Guy, Keith Potger and Bruce Woodley. Their debut album Introducing The Seekers was an immediate success in its own country in 1963. Their big international breakthrough came in 1965 with the single I’ll Never Find Another You. With that song they scored a number 1 hit in the UK. Their success in England has been impressive. Of their first eight hits, five were in the top 3. One of which is The Carnival Is Over, which also became a number 1 hit. The Seekers were also successful in the United States. There they reached the top 5 by two strokes.

In the Netherlands, success has been more modest. The group scored three Top 40 hits in 1965. I Won’t Find Another You reached number 23, A World of Our Own to number 15 and The Carnival Is Over to number 8. After that we didn’t see the group again on the list. In the early 1970s New Seeker four more Top 40 hits, but Judith was no longer involved. In 1968 the group disbanded and Judith began a solo career. However, compared to his hit performances with The Seekers, his success was much lower. After several reunions without Judith, he rejoined the group in the early 1990s and would perform until the end of the 1910s with the same lineup as in the 1960s.

In 1994, Judith’s husband Ron Edgeworth died of ALS. Since then, the singer has spent years raising funds for the treatment of ALS patients. Not long after, Judith and the other members of The Seekers received royal medals for their services to music and in 2014 they were even appointed Officers of the Order of Australia by Queen Elizabeth II. In May 2013, Judith survived a brain hemorrhage. As a result, he temporarily lost his ability to read and write, but this condition had no effect on his singing talent.

At the end of 2014, the singer said goodbye to the public. The Seekers then continued as The Original Seekers, with Judith’s place taken by singer Michael Cristiano. Judith Durham was the first member of The Seekers to die. She was a widow and had always been consciously childless. The Searchers celebrated their 60th anniversary this year. There will no doubt be extensive discussion of the life of Judith Durham, with whom they celebrated their greatest success.

(06/08/2022)