Archie Roach, the Indigenous Australian songwriter renowned for his debut single, the 1990 ballad “Took the Children Away,” has died. Roach passed away at Warrnambool Base Hospital in Victoria, Australia in July following a long illness, his sons Amos and Eban Roach confirmed, per 7News.com.au. He was 66.
In a statement on behalf of the Roach family, Amos and Eban shared, “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of Gunditjmara (Kirrae Whurrong/Djab Wurrung), Bundjalung Senior Elder, songman and storyteller Archie Roach.” Roach’s sons did not share his cause of death, though they thanked “all the staff who have cared for Archie over the past month,” adding that their father wanted all of his many fans to know how much he loves you for supporting him along the way. We are so proud of everything our dad achieved in his remarkable life. He was a healer and unifying force. His music brought people together.”
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Born in the central Victorian town of Mooroopna in 1956 to Nellie Austin, a Gunditjmara woman from south-west Victoria, and Archie Roach Sr, a Bundjalung man from the north coast of New South Wales, Roach was just 4-years-old when he and two of his sisters were taken by force from their parents and separated by welfare officers. According to The Guardian, Roach had two foster placements before being settled with Scottish immigrants, Alex and Dulcie Cox, in Melbourne, going on to attended a Pentecostal church, where he learned hymns. At around the same time, he was introduced to the music of Hank Williams.
Roach released his first single,” Took the Children Away” in 1990. The song, in which Roach reflected on his experience as a member of the Stolen Generation,” earned Roach Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) nominations for breakthrough artist and an award for best new talent at the 1991 awards. In 2013, the single was added to the National Film and Sound Archive. The song also won an International Human Rights Achievement award in 1993.
Amid news of Roach’s death, tributes have poured in for the musician. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tweeted, “tonight we mourn the passing of Archie Roach. Our country has lost a brilliant talent, a powerful and prolific national truth teller,” adding that Roach’s “music drew from a well of trauma and pain, but it flowed with a beauty and a resonance that moved us all. We grieve for his death, we honour his life and we hold to the hope that his words, his music and his indomitable spirit will live on to guide us and inspire us.” Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians, remembered Roach as “a pioneering musician and survivor of the Stolen Generations.”
Per 7News.com.au, a private ceremony for Roach will be held. The musician’s family has requested privacy at this time, though they have “given permission for his name, image and music to continue to be used so his legacy can inspire others.”
