Hutchence’s Death Caused By Hanging
INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, 37, was found dead in a Sydney, Australia hotel room just before noon local time on Nov. 22. Although police have
confirmed that Hutchence’s death was caused by hanging, they have
yet to determine whether it was suicide or accidental death by
asphyxiation.
Derrick Hand, the state coroner, told the Sydney Morning Herald that a post-mortem examination had concluded that the singer had in fact hanged himself in his fifth-floor suite of the posh Ritz Carlton hotel with a leather belt.
Hand went on to say that they were still unsure if Hutchence had
committed suicide; results of a toxicology report conducted on
Monday are not expected for a few weeks. Police have confirmed that
no foul play was involved in the death and that no illicit drugs
were found in the room. However, Hutchence was found hanging naked
in the room with a variety of prescription pills, including the
anti-depressant drug Prozac strewn across the floor, the paper
reported.
In a statement issued by Mercury Records,
members of INXS said they are all in extreme shock at the loss of
their dear friend and that their love and sympathy go out to
Michael’s family.
INXS’ tour manager, Martha Troup, said there
are no words to express the loss of someone like Michael. “He was
an amazingly kind and loving soul, who brought joy to all of us who
knew him. We were blessed to have Michael in this world and will
forever miss his absence in it.”
Hutchence’s funeral will be held Thursday afternoon in
Sydney.
The band has canceled its reunion tour, which was to have been
INXS’s first in their homeland in more than three years.
INXS, which formed in Perth in 1977, achieved worldwide
recognition when their first major label release, Listen Like
Thieves, hit in 1985. That album preceded 1987’s
Kick, an album that would further propel INXS into the
spotlight. During their 20-year career, the band sold more than 20
million albums worldwide.