Another Rock Legend Has Died From Cancer: Doug Hood Was 70

Legendary New Zealand music pioneer Doug “Hoody” Hood, a former member of the indie rock band The Clean, has died. Hood passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 10 following a long battle with cancer, his son, Jack Hood, told Radio NZ, per The New Zealand Herald. He was 70.

“My mum Victoria and I were here with dad when he died, it was very peaceful and dignified,” Jack shared. “It’s been a hard battle for him the last couple of years, and he lived his life on his own terms.”

Born in Te Kuiti, a small town in New Zealand’s North Island, in 1953, Hood’s distinguished career in New Zealand music began in the late ’70s as a member of The Clean. Hood served as a singer for the indie rock band, which formed in Dunedin in 1978, alongside Hamish Kilgour on guitar, David Kilgour on drums, and Peter Gutteridge on bass. While still with the group, he engineered the group’s Boodle Boodle Boodle EP for Flying Nun in 1981, kickstarting his decades-long career as a music engineer.

Hood went on to engineer the Flying Nun’s Dunedin Double EP, the 1982 compilation that served as the recording debut of The Chills, The Verlaines, Sneaky Feelings and the Stones. He also worked on New Zealand’s live music scene, serving as resident sound man at the Auckland’s Windsor Castle pub in the ’80s. He later transitioned into music promotion, founding the company Looney Tours, which was responsible for bringing several big-name artists to New Zealand, including the Violent Femmes, Billy Bragg, New Order, John Cale, PiL, and Iggy Pop.

In recognition of his services to music, Hood was awarded by King Charles in the 2023 Birthday and Coronation Honours and made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Many colleagues and fans were quick to pay tribute to Hood following news of his death. On X (formerly Twitter), AudioCulture wrote, “We’ve just heard the terribly sad news that a taonga of Aotearoa music passed away this morning – Doug Hood. Our thoughts are with his whānau, and his many, many friends. He was one in a million (or more).” Somebody else wrote, “It’s people like Doug Hood that built the nz music industry and kept it running along. He will be missed. RIP.”

In 2022, Hood was diagnosed with cancer. According to NZ Radio, he had staying at Elizabeth Knox Home and Hospital in Epsom, Auckland for the past few years. He is survived by his wife Victoria and their son Jack.