Steve Prestwich, who was the drummer for Aussie rock legends Cold Chisel, has passed away at the age of 56. He was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, but was unable to regain consciousness following surgery.

Prestwich, originally born in England, moved to Australia in the 1970s and eventually joined forces with Jimmy Barnes, Don Walker, and Ian Moss to form Cold Chisel. The band was a major influence on the hard rock scene in Australia (and indeed, on Aussie culture in general), and are often seen as one of many bands that helped bring Aussie rock to the world stage.

Cold Chisel was formed in 1973, initially as an early metal group performing covers of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. Using their metal and hard rock influences, the band evolved with their own original material – coming up with a sounds that many people identified with “Aussie Pub Rock” and songs that many find to be anthemic and synonymous to aspects of Australian culture.

The band performed in Australia and released albums through to their break-up in 1984. On and off since 1998, the band had reunited at different times for touring and recording. Cold Chisel is well known for their songs, “Khe Sanh”, “You Got Nothing I Want”, and “Water into Wine.”

The band released a statement on their official website:

Prestwich was a part of an influential band that has since become iconic within Australian culture. He will never be forgotten.

RIP

Steve Prestwich
March 5, 1954 – January 16, 2011

[Sources: ABC News Australia and the Official Cold Chisel Web Site]

Video: Khe Sanh

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