Bonnie Raitt Mourns Death of 'Friend and One of the Greatest Singers'

By Allison Schonter

Bonnie Raitt is mourning the loss of her close friend and fellow singer Renee Geyer. Geyer, a celebrated Australian jazz and soul singer, died Tuesday, Jan. 17 at the age of 69 from complications following hip surgery. As news of her passing broke, the music world took to social media to pay their respects, with Raitt joining the outpouring of tributes

In a lengthy tribute shared on Twitter, Raitt said she was "shocked and saddened "to hear of the sudden passing of another friend and one of the greatest singers I've ever known, Australia's incomparable Renee Geyer." Raitt recalled how Geyer's "husky, powerful and deeply soulful voice and phrasing has blown me away" ever since she first heard her in 1980 while making her album So Lucky. Raitt also revealed the impact Geyer had on her own career, revealing that she was "so knocked out" that she enlisted producer Rob Fabroni "and that band to play on my next album, Green Light, in 1981."

"Whether through decades of her own albums and live shows, joining in on records with @theofficialsting, [Jackson Browne], Hamish Stuart, or my own, 'Spit of Love,' with her impossibly low growl, unearthly high swoops but mostly, staggeringly great singing, there was no one like her. She was feisty, fiercely independent and faced a lot being a strong woman in this music business," Raitt continued. "She was also my good friend and will remain an inspiration and in my heart always. My condolences to her family and friends.

Born in Melbourne, Australia in 1953, Geyer shot to fame in the 1970s with a string of pop, soul and reggae releases, including her 1977 album Moving Along, which was her first to be released internationally. After relocating to Los Angeles, she contributed to recordings for Stevie Wonder, Joe Cocker, Neil Diamond, Bonnie Raitt, and Chaka Kahn. She eventually made a comeback in Australia in the '90s. She is well-known for hits like "It's A Man's Man's World" and "Say I Love You." In 2005, she was inducted into the Aria hall of fame, and in 2013 the Music Victoria Hall of Fame. In 2018, she received the lifetime achievement award at the Australian Women in Music awards, per The Guardian.

Her record label, the Mushroom Group, confirmed in a statement Tuesday that Geyer died peacefully among family and friends in the hospital due to complications after undergoing hip surgery. Per the statement, Geyer was also diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer while in the hospital. The Mushroom Group said Geyer "lived her life as she performed – on her own terms and to the fullest. Beloved and respected, she was a force of nature and a national treasure, and her passing leaves a giant void in the Australian music industry."

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