Men At Work's Greg Ham Gone At 58

Most musicians specialize in a single instrument. They pick it up as a child and practice for thousands of hours to perfect that single skill. During Men At Work tours, Greg Ham was known to play the flute, the harmonica, the saxophone and even the keyboards. He had a knack for quickly growing proficient with different instruments, and that ability served his band well, allowing the Australian group an incredible arsenal of sounds it could implement into various songs. During the early 1980s, the world took notice. The singles “Down Under” and “Who Can It Be Now” both hit number one in the United States and numerous other countries. World tours followed and even a Grammy, but after thirty years in the public eye, the journey is now over for Ham.

The fifty-eight-year-old was found deceased at his Melbourne home this week by two friends. They hadn’t heard from the musician in awhile and wanted to make sure everything was okay. Unfortunately, it wasn’t, and authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of death. According to The BBC, police have refused to speak on record about their early findings, but given Ham’s lasting contribution to music, the details will definitely come out in short order.

Following a period of inactivity in the mid 80s to mid 90s, Ham teamed back up with the band’s main creative force Colin Hay for various appearances. They played the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Olympics and jetted around the world for numerous concerts. More recently, a high profile lawsuit between various parties over whether the “Down Under” flute riff was based off the folk song “Kookaburra” worked its way through the Australian court system. Men at Work eventually lost, and the decision hit Ham very hard.

Regardless of what the ultimate cause of death proves to be, Ham’s loss will no doubt be felt by his former bandmates, his family and his millions of fans. He brought a lot of joy to a lot of people, and those smiles will never fade.