Music and TV Legend Dies, Will Receive State Funeral: Ted Egan Was 93

Beloved Australian folk singer Ted Egan has died. He was 93.

Egan, who was also an author, a TV host, and a public servant, passed away in his hometown of Alice Springs, Australia on December 3.

“It is with sadness, but also great pride that Nerys Evans and the Egan family marks the passing of our beloved partner, Dad, grandfather, great grandfather and best mate Ted Egan,” a statement from his family said. “Ted passed peacefully at home this morning as was his wish. We shared Ted with Territorians, Australians and the wider world. He lived a big and very generous life, spanning 93 years.”

He was best known for popularizing the beer carton as an instrument, for his distinctive voice, and for his staunch advocacy for Aboriginal rights in Australia. Egan is partially responsible for the creation of NAIDOC Week (National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee), and was a member of the very first National Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation in the country.

In his life, Egan released 30 folk albums, 15 books, made his own six-part TV series, and hosted another series—a nature series titled The Great Outdoors. He was known as the “Outback Song Man,” thanks to most of his music focusing on life in the Australian plains.

Egan was also the administrator of Australia’s Northern Territory—equivalent to a state’s governor in the U.S.—between 2003 and 2007.

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro announced he would have a state funeral honoring his legacy, saying “his commitment to sharing our history have left a profound and lasting legacy” on the country, and “our thoughts are with his wife Nerys and their family, friends and all who knew and loved him.”