Isn’t that hard to imagine Michael as a middle aged man? We all have a lasting impression of Michael in the prime of life, young, ambitious, creative, experienced and seasoned in his music craft with a professionalism that is still held in highest respect and awe by some of the greatest performers of this age. Michael will always remain thus in our thoughts. His rich music legacy and endearment has been so enduring that incredible figures are still achieved in record sales in his native Australia as a new generation discovers his magic. There is also world-wide anticipation as new media releases are announced, paying homage to Michael in respect to the twenty years that have flown by since his untimely departure.

How do you remember Michael? How will you commemorate his birthday? Michael’s Official Memorial Guestbook is open for you to share your heart to family, friends and fans around the world as usual, but this year we want your words to be the focus of his birthday message. The team at Michaelhutchence.org, Susie Hutchence, Mario and Jacqui Ferrari, and Ian Patterson look forward to reading your sincere comments celebrating the life and works of our dearest Michael Kelland Hutchence. Happy Birthday, dear Michael.

The 22^nd day of November has become a day to celebrate Michael’s life achievements at MichaelHutchence.org, rather than focusing on the enormous sorrow and impact of such an unfathomable loss. Yet Michael’s untimely death was followed by a succession of sad and tragic consequences. His passing broke the hearts of so many, particularly those who were closest to Michael. It is one of life’s hardest realities, seemingly too often overlooked, that those closest to us sometimes go through a debilitating crisis alone. Serious mental health and well-being issues may go undetected as a love one suffers in silence, bearing it alone. Tragically, unchecked it can lead in an irrational moment to a precipice that has irreversible consequences.

Nineteen years on and we still feel the tragedy of his loss, not just the loss of a precious life, but of the consequences. Primarily the loss to his family, but also the loss to colleagues, friends and fans and above all, loss of life opportunities for Michael. But something I have learnt through it all, my journey with Kell and Susie and the friendships formed, I feel confident that Michael would want something worthwhile to triumph through such loss. If he was able to personally express to us all today, what he so wonderfully expressed in his life and music, he would passionately say, “Live, live!” Live your precious life, with optimism, faith and hope. Never give up hope and always look on the brighter side of life. Love others without bias or prejudice, don’t dwell on the hurts of the past but find new vision to live the present and the future in a renewed determination to overcome adversity, and wait for light and joy to shine through again if any dark cloud may currently hang over you. Try to forgive. If you are going through really difficult emotional trauma, share this with a trusted friend. Never solve temporary problems with such a permanent tragic solution. Realise we can muster the will to change, by God’s grace and power, the changeable aspects in our life that rob us and others of love, joy and peace. We can also find the courage to accept that which cannot be changed. In dark moments we need light, from spiritual inspiration, from a dear friend we have faith in.

While living in Hong Kong, Jon and Michael co-wrote a song “Faith in each other” that was to form part of the X album. The lyrics still ring true. Listen, really listen to Michael’s words.

“Yeah, you got to have faith in each other…”
(Loved ones)…”they give us a reason to go on living.
It’s all in the choices that you have to make
I got to tell you, you better make them good.”

Rest in peace you gentle-spirited, loving, kind and passionate man.

Ian Patterson for Susie Hutchence, Mario and Jacqueline Ferrari, fellow Co-Directors at MichaelHutchence.org

It’s hard to believe it has been nineteen years since your father and I sat down to dinner.  We laughed and joked as you regaled us with stories of your life in U.K. You spoke of Paula, Tiger and her sisters with such love and affection it touched our hearts.  The news the next morning forever shattered that idyll.

On a different note, along with Bowie and Prince I am sure you have welcomed another great into the heavenly realm.  Hallelujah the great Leonard Cohen. Enjoy the poetry and the music.

Susie Hutchence

Thinking of you today and every single day since you departed this realm.

All love,
Susie

This memorable celebration date for Michael, January 22^nd, rolls around each year with seemingly continued rapidity. His 38^th birthday is still vivid in my mind when Michael’s family, INXS band colleagues and closest friends met to commemorate his short but amazing life. You can read of that memorable afternoon and evening in the Ashes Ceremony article. 

In recent years Michael’s legendary music has continued to grow in reputation with amazing sales taking place in his homeland, Australia, breaking all previous records as new generations discover Michael and INXS.  We are also thrilled to see a new release recently of his much rumoured “Friction” song.  We gave a world preview, using an original studio excerpt of this innovative dance song some years ago, here at www.michaelhutchence .org

We are pleased to announce that one of Michael’s respected solo album collaborators, Danny Saber has been in contact with us and is enthusiastic about helping complete a short article in the way of interview about is creative work with Michael on “Friction” in the very near future, exclusive to Michael’s Official Memorial Site.

The frailty of music artists has been hard-hitting these past weeks with the sad parting of Lemmy, Bowie and Glenn Frey. No one is immortal and today as we celebrate Michael’s 56th together, may we also be thankful for good health and longevity, as well as giving thought and prayer to those who are struggling with health, and family loss. Make the most of every moment. It is always a great day to be thankful for all we have and all we have been given. This includes the large and precious catalogue of Michael’s music, films, and interviews. Play some Michael, leave a message of hope in his Guestbook and make it an uplifting day.  While it is understandably always with mixed emotions that we celebrate yet another birthday for Michael, it is unimaginable to think of him as anything less than as he left us in his youth (and our youth), and so he is forever young.

Ian Patterson

100 hundred years ago this year Kelland’s father, Frank, a ship’s captain in the Royal Merchant Navy was risking life and limb transporting Australian soldiers to the frontline. A descendent from such a brave and strong man is destined to be of the same stock, strong in character, a leader, and defender of the vulnerable. Michael’s Dad was every bit that man.

Kelland Hutchence who we remember with great affection embarked on his eternal journey on this day 13 years ago. He is missed for his caring, loving heart and his jovial personality. The launching of Michael’s new Official Memorial Site last month is a direct result of the original vision of Kelland to honour his son Michael Hutchence with a perpetual cyberspace consecrated site.

Today we send warm, loving thoughts and prayers to dear Susie, Rhett and Tiger as we also pay homage to dear Kelland Hutchence.

This anniversary Michael is tinged with an overwhelming sadness of what has occurred in Paris, and the subsequent loss of so many innocent lives – a loss of innocence for the world.

The beautiful City of Light is close to your heart – a city where you and Helena loved, laughed and generally enjoyed a carefree existence. You both gave your dear father and I the most memorable and exciting time of our lives when we holidayed there so many years ago. You were always in my mind when I re-visited with your beautiful daughter many years later.

Rest in peace dearest Michael
Your loving step-mother

After months of re-designing and coding, Michael’s Memorial Website is finally ready to shine in a new light. With our heritage site dating back to 1998, there was much that needed changing in order for Michael’s site to take advantage of the latest Web technology. A real challenge was to transfer the nearly 16,000 messages from the old site to the new. We found a reliable solution with the Gwolle Guestbook.

Some of the old content is still missing but will be added in the upcoming months. “The Fans section” and “Media” have been moved to “Memories”, the “Possibilities Project” can now be found within the “Work” menu.

We welcome you to browse the wealth of information about Michael Hutchence and thoroughly enjoy the new site.

Please feel free to send comments, alert us to errors, and any other problems you may encounter within the site by contacting us by e-mail.

Mario, Co-director and Chief Web Designer.
for Susie Hutchence, Jacqueline Ferrari and Ian Patterson
November, 2015.

Acknowledgments
The site runs on the WordPress theme Agency-Pro powered by the Genesis Framework of Studiopress.com. Tutorials and code snippets from many websites have helped us to build a modern, responsive site for mobile devices and desktop solutions. Thank you to billerickson.net, briangardner.com, carriedils.com, philipgledhill.co.uk, wpbeaches.com, Roger Jäger, Marcel Pohl and many more for sharing their expertise.

Thank you all sincerely for remembering Michael on this special day, his 55th birthday, and for visiting Michael’s Official Memorial Site. We hope you also find time to honour Michael by leaving a short birthday greeting in his Guestbook.

It is hard to imagine how Michael might have felt about turning 55. No doubt he would have wanted to spend it with family so we have decided to include a precious description of those early days of his life written by his dear, adoring father, the late Kelland Hutchence.

In the formative days of building Michael’s Memorial Site, back in 1998/99, Kelland wrote the following beautiful account of the arrival of Michael Kelland John Hutchence. Imagine Kell reading this out just before the candles were blown out, the cake cut and the glasses held up to toast Michael. Please read Kell’s doting and candidly humorous words below, and join us today in expressing from our hearts, “Happy Birthday dear Michael”.

“My son Michael was born on the 22nd January 1960 at the Mater Misericordia Hospital, North Sydney.

His mother Patricia Kennedy and I had been married on 31st January, 1959 after a six week whirlwind courtship.

We were overjoyed by the arrival of a son …a happy gurgling little boy who I knick-named ‘Sparkle Plenty’

Kelland Hutchence

Michael was my first child and we were overjoyed with the arrival of a son. He looked so cute and when the day came to take mother and son back to our home at Lane Cove, Sydney, I remember driving so very carefully, worried about the precious cargo I had aboard.

The Hutchence family home in Lane Cove had become available to us as my father had sadly and unexpectedly died a couple of years earlier and my mother had remarried. So we had moved from our small apartment in Neutral Bay to Lane Cove during Patricia’s pregnancy. This lovely home gave us plenty of space – three bedrooms and a large garden – I thought it was just the right place to bring up children and it had been a happy home for me and my sister Croy.

Patricia and I had prepared the second bedroom at the front of the house for our baby – Patricia had handled all the linen items and baby decorations and toys and I had concentrated on painting the walls and ceiling giving the room a fresh and sparkling atmosphere. The room faced the north so it got the morning light and I often sat there and watched the glow of the sun shining through the leadlight windows of the English style cottage my mother and father had built in the early twenties after they settled here from England.

I looked so often at this baby boy and wondered what his future would be. We had been thinking up names for months but chose what we both liked so much – Michael, and it was agreed that my christian name Kelland would be given to him as his second name and John as his third christian name after one of Patricia’s brothers who had died at an early age in an accident.

So Michael Kelland John settled down to a comfortable and happy life in his nursery and seemed to take on a special presence in our home – he was cute to look at and was generally a very happy baby with quite a personality even with strangers. It was into a rather secure lifestyle that Michael entered our family circle – we weren’t rich but we were comfortable.

Michael thrived and of course was loved by all – he had a way with the girls even then and I recall how he peed into the face of one of our friends, Dianna Gregory who was a top model in those days and helping out on that occasion with a nappy change. It happened at a barbeque we had held inviting all our friends along to view the new babe. And of course the house was full of beautiful ladies – model and mannequin friends of Patricia’s and Michael seemed to know he was in glamour company.

About a year after Michael joined us I had to move office to Brisbane due to the company acquiring another business in their expansion plans. We bought a house in Kenmore, Brisbane and although it had been an unsettling move we gradually made the best of it and began to like the atmosphere of outer Brisbane suburban country type living. It was a healthy lifestyle and good for kids.

Michael by this stage was crawling around everywhere – a happy gurgling little boy who I knick-named ‘sparkle plenty’ as he reminded me of that cartoon character who seemed to crawl around dragging a long shawl around behind. Michael was about fifteen months old then and about this time Patricia found she was pregnant…some eight months later another boy was born and this time in the Brisbane Maternity Hospital. This was the arrival of Rhett Bradley – a fine bonny boy.”

An extract from Kell’s writings retelling the arrival of Michael and Rhett.

Ian Patterson for fellow Co-directors
Susie Hutchence, Mario and Jacqui Ferrari
… and especially for Tiger.

Copyright Kelland Hutchence Collection

It’s November again and Jacaranda time when Sydney is bathed in a purple glow. A yearly reminder of that fateful November seventeen years ago when your father and I bathed in your happy glow whilst enjoying what would be our last dinner, indeed the last time we would see you in this life. 

The news of the following Saturday morning broke our hearts, as it did those close to your heart and the legion of fans around the world.

One thing is certain every November the Jacaranda will blossom again in all its purple glory, and we will pause to remember the loss of a prodigious talent and a sensitive and beautiful soul.

Rest in peace Michael with your dear father Kelland.

Susie Hutchence
(A very proud stepmother)

Wishing dear Tiger Lily a splendid 18th birthday today! Tiger has grown into a beautiful young woman with grace and poise. All your family and huge numbers of friends world wide, collective wish you dear Tiger a happy birthday! We also wish you every success, with great health and happiness in the year ahead.

Special birthday greetings today for dear Kelland Hutchence. The impact your life made on your son and many, many others, continues to reverberate around the world.

We are delighted to honour Michael Hutchence with yet another world exclusive. 

Today is the twentieth anniversary of the initial recording of “Deliver Me”, completed on the first Freedom Day in South Africa when Nelson Mandela cast his first vote as a free man. 

Please take time to listen to our recent interview with Scott Perry, the original tracking engineer on the Miami “Deliver Me” session which was recorded on 27th April, 1994. 

We are continuing our commitment to celebrate Michael’s creative heritage!

Today please join with us and celebrate Michael’s 54th birthday! And as family, friends and fans send greetings to his Guestbook from around the world, Michael and INXS are enjoying new success with their “Greatest Hits” album.

This week it moved to number two in the Aria Australian Artists charts. What a wonderful tribute to Michael on his 54th birthday from the Australian public.  Never forget Michael loved Australia. Michael was so immensely proud of his Australian heritage, always unashamedly flying the flag at any opportunity while on his journey conquering the popular music world. The current resurge of interest no doubt stems from the imminent release of the television series. One can only hope that it will place Michael and INXS into a place of even greater respect at home, winning them comparable recognition for the incredible achievements and high esteem that Michael and the band enjoy abroad.   Yes, as we celebrate Michael’s birthday today there is an air of excitement. Australia awaits the release of ‘Never Tear Us Apart’, the television miniseries covering the rise and rise of INXS in the international rock arenas, on the radio waves and MTV videos during the heady days of the 1980s.

2014 also marks 30 years since INXS gained their first Australian number one chart position with ‘Original Sin’, produced by veteran funk man, Nile Rogers.

Twenty years ago this month the band where self-absorbed on a world tour, yet Michael found time to complete a number of side projects, one of which involved working with legendary Rolling Stones’ engineer and producer, Chris Kimsey on his Symphonic Music of the Rolling Stones album.  Chris had produced  Michael’s vocals on a number of tracks for “Full Moon Dirty Hearts” album during 1993. No doubt hugely impressed with Michael, Chris had no hesitation in choosing him as the only other male vocalist on Chris’ Symphonic Music project (Mick Jagger being the other).  Chris Kimsey sent Michael a demo recording of the Stones’ song, ‘Under My Thumb’ during December, 1993 and the following month, January 1994, Michael recorded his own excellent version of the song, backed up by the entire London Symphony Orchestra.  Michael seemed to be going through a period of stretching outside of INXS for creative collaboration that would see him record several other non-INXS tracks during 1994. These included the Batman sound track, “The Passenger” as well as commencing work on his then confidential solo album with Tim Simeon. Recording with Talking Heads ensued in New York and other collaborative projects were to follow.

Michael seemed happiest when he was creatively employed with new writing challenges.  We are hoping to bring you a world exclusive on one of these projects in coming weeks, celebrating 20 years. Keep checking back at Michael’s News page!

We know you will be enthusiastic in celebrating Michael’s birthday today, January 22nd 2014.  We again recommend you lift your spirit with his songs. We are from time to time blessed by God through rare souls on this planet, that wherever they go they bring joy with their music. Troubadours with an infectious smile, bright eyes that sparkle despite life’s challenges, and after they depart, their melodies and lyrics remain… and within their songs, a joyful spirit lingers long after they’re gone.

If you told me
Nothing’s perfect
Hearts are broken
Nothing’s free,
I will show you
Why it’s worth it…
And that’s the way it’s meant to be”

Happy 54th Michael Kelland Hutchence!

Ian Patterson 
On behalf of the Co-Directors
Susie Hutchence, Mario and Jacqui Ferrari

Michael realised in his short lifetime some of the most amazing achievements that any singer songwriter anywhere has ever achieved…

During the lead up to this day on the history calendar, it has been encouraging to see all the music videos, photos and stories of Michael emerging across the world’s social media networks. Stories and sharing of his music and photos are travelling around the world, from Australia, U.S.A, South America, Japan and across to the countries of Europe, from United Kingdom to Russia. Every INXS fan knows the significance of this date, but the majority have focused on the creativity, zest for life and celebrations of Michael. And so it has mainly been these past 16 years at this time, a celebration of a life that reached millions on this planet, with much affection and appreciation pouring out from family, friends and fans. For it is a well-known fact, for the vast majority of his life and career, Michael had a zest and enthusiasm for life. He laughed, smiled and sang his way through it. He tried to bolster and encourage those around him who were having a bad day. Even up to his untimely death he was sharing with his family his enthusiasm about purchasing a house in Sydney and resettling there, or in Hollywood where new opportunities were emerging. Days before arriving in Sydney he had a meeting with actor Michael Douglas about a future film project. Michael could see he was on the verge of new creative possibilities. He also had just completed more tracks on his solo project while in L.A. with Danny Saber. Michael was also pleased to be back in Australia with INXS, looking forward to their 20 year celebration tour that had come after several years away from performing on their native shores. Michael spoke positively about all of these new ventures when he met with his loved ones in the days leading up to his death.

Michael really did have a zest and a love for life. He wanted to be creative and spiritual, romantic and blessed with family; he was a man who loved to take interest in people, before his spiral down that sunk him into what was a disastrous combination of events and conditions. Michael had a very bad day and no doubt in a moment of total despair, was overcome by it.

2 billion young people have been added to this earth since Michael left us. Precious lives that have started down a birth canal as we all have come down, though some into privilege, some into famine, some into peace, some into civil strife and war. I was very much moved by Angelina Jolie’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian award for service to humanity this week. Her words from the acceptance speech were heartfelt and full of questions, but also full of sincere gratitude. She understood that it is an unanswerable question why some are blessed, others seemed cursed, some have a rich life, others impoverished, some have opportunity to live their dreams, others with equal ability don’t, some make it through the low depressions and live another day, some succumb to the moment and are lost from us forever. 

So please continue those mutual exchanges and words of gratitude for the good years Michael had. Play his music and celebrate the greater part of a highly creative and productive life. Add a kind thought to Michael’s Guestbook. He realised in his short lifetime some of the most amazing achievements that any singer songwriter anywhere has ever achieved. That is the significant legacy he has left for all who remain, and for those yet to come. That is our focus today.

Ian Patterson 
On behalf of the Co-Directors
Susie Hutchence, Mario and Jacqui Ferrari