Australian hard rock icon Angry Anderson, the gravel-voiced frontman of Rose Tattoo since 1976, died on September 21, 2026, at the age of 79 in Sydney, surrounded by family, weeks after suffering a cardiac arrest in Germany on the band’s One Last Ride farewell tour.
Known for anthems like Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaw and solo hit Suddenly, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1993. He married Lindy Michael in 1986, divorced in 2002, and had four children: Roxanne, Galen, Blaine, and Liam. Notably, Angry and Lindy’s fourth child, Liam, died in 2018.
Angry Anderson’s youngest child, Liam Anderson, was beaten to death by his friend in 2018
Liam Anderson was Angry Anderson’s youngest child and only son to follow him into music. He performed as a Sydney rapper under the name Ranford Bigsby. He was killed on the morning of November 4, 2018, at Queenscliff on Sydney’s northern beaches and was 26 years old at the time of his death.
According to police reports at the time, Liam had been at a party on Saturday night with his close friend Mathew Flame, 20, from Narraweena. The two were walking through a park near Pavilion Street and Bridge Road when the attack happened. Flame had consumed ten MDMA capsules along with alcohol and cannabis and suffered an acute drug-induced psychotic episode.
Flame told police he hallucinated that Liam was a demon who wanted to kill him. Police found him still beating Liam when they arrived. The scene was described as bloody and brutal. It took five officers and OC pepper spray to subdue Flame. An emergency helicopter was called, but Liam died as it was taking off.
The family initially did not react to the news. Anderson’s manager Scot Crawford asked for privacy while NSW Police investigated. Later, at the Supreme Court trial in November 2020, the court heard full details of the psychosis. Flame was acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter on mental health grounds and, on December 16, 2020, was sentenced to a maximum of eight years in prison.
For Angry Anderson, who often spoke about breaking the cycle of violence from his own childhood to become a devoted, affectionate father, the loss was devastating. In his victim impact statement, he told the court he had been “condemned to a life of sadness” and had lost his will in many ways.
Angry Anderson and his ex-wife Lindy Michael, mother of their four children, had divorced in 2002 but remained connected as parents. Both stayed largely private after the death, only speaking through the court process and asking the media to respect their grief.
Angry Anderson gained recognition for being associated with the band Rose Tattoo
Angry Anderson’s career spanned over 50 years. He started singing in Melbourne in the early 1970s with bands like Peace Power and Purity before joining Buster Brown, where a young Phil Rudd was on drums.
In 1976, he joined a new Sydney band, Rose Tattoo, and became its only constant frontman. With guitarist Peter Wells and Mick Cocks, Rose Tattoo released their self-titled debut in 1978, delivering classics like Bad Boy for Love, Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaw and Nice Boys. The band refused to soften its image for overseas markets and became a fixture of Australian hard rock, releasing eight albums and being inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006.
Outside Rose Tattoo, Angry Anderson had solo success with the 1987 ballad Suddenly, which hit No.2 in Australia and No.3 in the UK after it soundtracked Scott and Charlene’s wedding on Neighbours. He also acted in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, hosted The Challenge, and became a youth advocate, earning an AM in 1993.
Rest in peace, Angry Anderson.
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