Chris Bailey death: Lead singer of Australian band The Saints has died aged 65

‘I couldn’t have hoped for a better singer,’ Bailey’s band member Ed Kuepper writes

Chris Bailey, the lead singer for the Australian band The Saints, has died at the age of 65.

The band announced the news on Facebook on Monday (11 April).

“It is with great pain in our hearts that we have to inform you about the passing of Chris Bailey, singer, and songwriter of The Saints, on (Saturday) 9 April 2022,” the statement read. “Chris lived a life of poetry and music and stranded on a Saturday night.”

The cause of his death was not disclosed.

Bailey was born in Nanyuki, Kenya, to Irish parents, but grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, until the age of seven, when his family emigrated to Australia.

The singer’s family settled in Brisbane, Queensland, and he and his sister Margaret attended a high school where Bailey’s band members Ed Kuepper and Ivor Hay were also students.

They formed the band The Saints in 1973. Their first hit was in the UK with the classic punk anthem “(I’m) Stranded”.

The music community and fans have paid tribute to Bailey on social media.

Kuepper wrote on Twitter: “Very sad to confirm the news about Chris Bailey dying on the weekend. Chris and I met when we were about 14 during detention at Oxley High School and became close friends which later developed into what I always thought was an extremely strong artistic partnership.

“I couldn’t have hoped for a better singer. My deepest condolences to his wife Elisabet, his sisters Margaret, Carol and Maureen and the rest of his family and loved ones,” he added.

Australian actor Rhys Muldoon wrote: “RIP Chris Bailey. One of our greatest. Had the pleasure of staying at his amazing, rambling home at Queen St, Woollahra. He was incredibly generous, wickedly funny, and just what a rock star should be. Legend.”

Writer and activist Celeste Liddle added: “Vale. I’m devastated. An utter legend.”