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Never tear us apart: Michael Hutchence and INXS

In 1997, just two months after the death of Princess Diana, INXS singer Michael Hutchence was found hanged in a posh Sydney hotel room.

His death ended almost two decades of the singer being in the spotlight – first as the charismatic INXS frontman, then as a major paparazzi target following his affair and then marriage to British TV host Paul Yates.

This Sunday night Channel 7 will air INXS: Never Tear Us Apart, the first band-sanctioned miniseries about the rise and fall of the group and Hutchence, starring Luke Arnold as Hutchence.

While we know the series heavily focuses on Hutchence’s relationships with Yates and fellow Australian singer Kylie Minogue, we are looking forward to looking back at the history of one of world’s greatest bands.

Here’s our timeline of what we hope to see revisited.

AAP

Michael Hutchence was the focus of intense media scrutiny before his death in 1997. Photo: AAP

1977:

Hutchence joins The Farris Brothers as lead vocalist, with Andrew, Jon and Tim Farris, Kirk Pengilly and Garry Gary Beers. The band is later renamed INXS.

1980:

INXS releases its self-titled debut album. The tracklist includes the band’s hit Just Keep Walking.

1982:

Shaboo Shaboo, INXS’ third album and the first to be released worldwide, featuring Don’t Change and The One Thing, stays on the ARIA charts for 94 weeks.

1985:

INXS becomes Australia’s ‘It’ band with the release of The Swing. Smash hit singles Original Sin and Burn for You make the band a household name.

1986:

This is the year INXS become a worldwide sensation. The release of the 1985 album Listen Like Thieves and the US top five single What You Need catapults the band into superstardom.

This was also the year Hutchence starred in Richard Lowenstein’s cult film about the Melbourne music scene, Dogs in Space.

1987: 

INXS releases the ARIA chart topping album Kick, their biggest selling studio recording, and score four US top 10 singles with New Sensation, Never Tear Us Apart, Devil Inside and Need You Tonight.

The US record label who funded the record didn’t think it had any commercial credibility but the song Never Tear Us Apart becomes the band’s biggest song.

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With Hutchence on vocals, INXS took the world by storm. Photo: AAP

1990:

The band and Hutchence’s entire world changes when Hutchence begins dating pop princes, and honorary Brit, Kylie Minogue.

Minogue later says Hutchence provided her sexual awakening and their relationship introduces the band to a whole new set of fans.

The X record is released.

1991:

INXS performs to more than 70,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London, cementing the group’s status as one of the biggest musical acts on the planet.

Hutchence starts dating Danish supermodel Helena Christensen.

1992:

Welcome to Wherever You Are goes to number one in the UK and number three in Australia.

1993: 

Full Moon, Dirty Hearts receives mixed reviews, but Hutchence remains firmly in the public eye.

1995:

Hutchence becomes the centre of a media storm when he goes on the british morning show The Tube and overtly flirts with presenter Paula Yates. Yates was married to Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof, the founder of Live Aid, at the time.

1996:

Yates divorces Geldof for Hutchence and their relationship is scrutinised as much for their hedonistic lifestyles as Hutchence’s aversion to the paparazzi.

The couple have their first and only child, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence.

INXS miniseries

Hutchence and his partner Paula Yates with their daughter, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily. Photo: AAP

1997: 

INXS release their final album with Hutchence at the helm, Elegantly Wasted.

Hutchence and Yates struggle with drugs and alcohol and are permanently in the press.

On November 22, 1997, Hutchence is found dead in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Sydney. The coroner pronounces his death a suicide.

The hangover:

In 2000 Paula Yates died of a heroin overdose. Her former husband, Geldof, raised her and Hutchence’s daughter as his own.

Almost 17 years after his death, INXS has never found a frontman to replace Hutchence, despite several attempts.

Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS airs on Channel 7 this Sunday at 8:30pm.

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