Angels frontman Doc Neeson has died after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. He was 67.

DOC Neeson, the lead singer of Australian rockers The Angels, has died of brain cancer.

He was 67.

Doc Neeson, the singer behind hits such as Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in January 2013.

He had battled the tumour for 17 months but died this morning at 7.15am.

His children Dzintra, Daniel, Aidan and Kieran and partner Annie Souter thanked friends and fans “for their support through this dark time”.

“We love you Dad. You couldn’t have made any of your sons more proud of you if you tried. May your beautiful soul rest in peace sweet angel, fly high,” his children said in a joint statement.

His partner Annie expressed her wishes for Neeson with a Shakespeare quote.

“Good Night, Sweet Prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”

The Angels singer was a force of nature, the quintessential rock frontman who could command an audience with his ferocious performance and charm them with his natural bonhomie.

ROCK LEGEND: How Doc changed music forever

The Belfast-born Bernard “Doc” Neeson who immigrated with his family to Australia when he was 13, seemed destined for the stage, completing degrees in film and drama after his army service.

But he found his heart and soul in rock’n’roll, rising through the nascent Australian pub rock scene in the 1970s initially with the Moonshine Jug and String Band with Rick and John Brewster.

They became the Keystone Angels before settling on a name which would be indelibly stamped on the contemporary Australian soundtrack.

The Angels got their first big break when fellow rising rockers AC/DC recommended them to the fledgling label Alberts, the home of the legendary songwriters and former Easybeats members Harry vanda and George Young.

BANDMATES PAY TRIBUTE

The Angels drummer Buzz Bidstrup farewelled Neeson in hospital on Monday night before the singer lost consciousness.

The pair traded old road stories and “clapped hands to the Bo Diddley beat”.

He said the band would never have made it if it hadn’t been for Neeson’s commanding performance.

“He was the arrowhead of The Angels who propelled us to where we got to, the reason why the band became such an iconic force in the 70s. He came across as this menacing, dark character but, as we all know, he was a gentle giant, well-read and well-spoken with impeccable manners, everything that was diametrically opposed to his rock persona,” Bidstrup said.

“He would dress up in that morning suit in the late 1970s, looking like someone going to Ascot races and during the show, he would lose the jacket and the tie and end up this sweaty, gritty rock guy.”

Neeson was a rock guy on stage but offstage, he approached every gig as a professional athlete.

Bidstrup said while the rest of the band would prepare for a gig backstage in a “haze of marijuana and alcohol,” Neeson would go for a run.

“He would turn up ready to get on stage a little breathless and a little sweaty but straight as a die and totally dedicated to putting on the performance of his life. He wanted the people who had paid their bucks to get the best show they had ever seen,” he said.

The measure of his popularity could be seen every night in the exhausted faces of the fans as they streamed out of the venue, heat rising like a cloud off the crowd.

But even more remarkably by the hours-long queues who waited for their moment with Neeson after every gig they played after the factions of The Angels reunited in 2008.

“Doc would engage with every person who was waiting, he would talk to everyone, pose for a photo, sign their boobs,” Bidstrup said.

“He was accessible, a gentleman.”

Guitarist Rick Brewster also paid tribute to the singer.

“Doc stood out as one of a kind, a totally unique performer,” he said.

“His feverish stage presence was unsurpassed yet beneath the public persona was a gentle soul. He leaves behind a wealth of shared memories — good times, hard times and the thrill of creating timeless music together. RIP Doc.”

“Doc became one of the great frontmen of all time, a dynamic, demonic, artistic and imposing performer who would give it his all night after night, totally spent at the end of each show,” said John Brewster. “There was a deep, sensitive and gentle side to Doc. In this sad time of his passing I’ll remember him for that and the good times we had together, now and forever more.”

Brent Eccles, who played drums in the band in from 1981-2000 said he was “stunned” by the news.

“I came over from NZ and saw Doc about two months ago. Kind of said goodbye. I was half expecting this day but I wasn’t prepared to hear the news,” he said.

“We had a nice time and he was quite normal, he was not letting go, he was being positive about future plans, performances and he was coming up with ideas. He was quite aware of his situation, I think he knew the end was nigh, but Doc was always positive about his future.”

He said playing with Neeson was an incredible experience.

“A lot of the time I’d just watch him. You don’t get a chance very often to perform in a band with a lead singer like that. He was dramatic, and he directed the traffic, and was not just a great lead singer but a great front man, very theatrical and unique.

“He had the audience in the palm of his hand. He knew what it meant to have the audience on side, and he would give his last inch. No matter what the circumstances — injury, lost voice — the show must go on.”

CANCER BATTLE

Neeson underwent surgery to remove the brain tumour but an MRI revealed the tumour had returned in February this year, with the singer saying it might be “life threatening”.

“The news is grim, but some people can get through this, and that’s the way I try to think about things,” he told the ABC’s Australian Story.

“So I’m looking forward optimistically to the future.”

Neeson said his initial reaction to the tumour had been “shock of course”.

“When somebody puts a use by date on me, but I still hung on to a shred of hope that I’d get back on the stage at some point.”

FIGHTING SPIRIT

In March this year he released his first single in seven years, Walking in the Rain, after performing the song to critical acclaim on the SBS TV show Rockwiz.

Shortly afterwards he performed at a fundraising gig at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre with Jimmy Barnes, Peter Garrett, Angry Anderson and other legends of the Australian music industry.

DOC NEESON: The fallen Aussie Angel

EARLY DAYS

Neeson was born Bernard Patrick Neeson in Belfast as one of six children and moved with his family to Adelaide when he was 13.

The Angels started life in Adelaide as The Moonshine Jug and String Band in the early 1970s.

They went on to become the Keystone Angels.

With their hard, muted down strokes on guitar and Neeson’s theatrical, imposing presence, they became darlings of the burgeoning Australian pub rock scene along with Cold Chisel and AC/DC, repeatedly selling out the land’s biggest beer barns.

In 1975, they became simply The Angels and a year later they released their breakthrough single Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again.

REVEALED: Doc Neeson tells the sad story behind hit song

BELOVED BY AUDIENCES

The song is perhaps most widely know for the expletive-laden “audience response” during the chorus.

“The Australian audiences in their inimitable fashion added their own part to (the song) which is what I call the chant or sometimes the response,” Neeson told Australian Story during an interview earlier this year.

“And it suddenly became international in its own way. It now gets sung in pubs in England. I took a band to the Middle East, they were singing it there.

“In a way I’m really delighted to hear that because it’s Australian audiences making a song their own. And from the point of view when the band first started, we were trying to write songs for Australian audiences, they’ve made it their own in a way I’d never have thought possible.”

Their other hits included Take a Long Line, Marseilles, Shadow Boxer, No Secrets, and a cover version of the Eric Burdon hit We Gotta Get Out Of This Place.

Neeson’s final gig with the band was in New Year’s Eve in 1999.

HONOURED AND REMEMBERED

Neeson was awarded the Order of Australia medal on Australia Day last year for services to music and the community.

The rocker was also behind The Tour of Duty — Concert for the Troops in Dili in 1999 that also featured John Farnham, Kylie Minogue, Gina Jeffreys, James Blundell, The Living End, Dili Allstars and the Royal Military College Band.

The concert was organised for the InterFET peacekeeping troops sent to East Timor.

Music stalwart Molly Meldrum paid tribute Neeson today.

“Doc was one of the nicest people in the Australian music industry. He personified what it meant to be a rock and roll front man, the way people like Michael Hutchence, Mick Jagger and Shirley Strachan did,” he said.

“He was always so lovely to deal with. When we did the Countdown Spextacular tour he charmed everyone and the Angels were one of the great Australian pub rock acts and a great Countdown band. Am I ever gonna see his face again? You bet I f---- will.”

Tributes for the singer are pouring in on social media.

RIP Doc Neeson. What a giant of Aussie Rock. The soundtrack to many memories. #Vale — David Campbell (@DavidCampbell73) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: RIP Doc Neeson. What a giant of Aussie Rock. The soundtrack to many memories. #Vale— David Campbell (@DavidCampbell73) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: RIP Doc Neeson. What a giant of Aussie Rock. The soundtrack to many memories. #Vale— David Campbell (@DavidCampbell73) June 4, 2014

Spent a lot of my youth listening to the Angels, Vale Doc Neeson. — Nick Champion MP (@NickChampionMP) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Spent a lot of my youth listening to the Angels, Vale Doc Neeson.— Nick Champion MP (@NickChampionMP) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Spent a lot of my youth listening to the Angels, Vale Doc Neeson.— Nick Champion MP (@NickChampionMP) June 4, 2014

R.I.P. Doc Neeson #Legend — Richard Wilkins (@RichardWilkins) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: R.I.P. Doc Neeson #Legend— Richard Wilkins (@RichardWilkins) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: R.I.P. Doc Neeson #Legend— Richard Wilkins (@RichardWilkins) June 4, 2014

Doc Neeson "Into The Blue" rest in peace you legend — Mikey Robins (@MikeyRobins) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Doc Neeson "Into The Blue" rest in peace you legend— Mikey Robins (@MikeyRobins) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Doc Neeson "Into The Blue" rest in peace you legend— Mikey Robins (@MikeyRobins) June 4, 2014

The times I met Doc Neeson he was the loveliest person to me. A rock legend with a heart of gold. I hope I get to see your face again #RIP — The Quentin (@qkenihan) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: The times I met Doc Neeson he was the loveliest person to me. A rock legend with a heart of gold. I hope I get to see your face again #RIP— The Quentin (@qkenihan) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: The times I met Doc Neeson he was the loveliest person to me. A rock legend with a heart of gold. I hope I get to see your face again #RIP— The Quentin (@qkenihan) June 4, 2014

The long line has finally been reeled in. Thanks for everything, Doc Neeson. pic.twitter.com/2VrvQSQfct — anthony ackroyd (@anthonyackroyd) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: The long line has finally been reeled in. Thanks for everything, Doc Neeson. pic.twitter.com/2VrvQSQfct— anthony ackroyd (@anthonyackroyd) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: The long line has finally been reeled in. Thanks for everything, Doc Neeson. pic.twitter.com/2VrvQSQfct— anthony ackroyd (@anthonyackroyd) June 4, 2014

**BREAKING** We've lost a friend today. Doc Neeson of the The Angels has died. #RIPDoc pic.twitter.com/CvNp51oGxi — Grill Team (@GrillTeam) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: **BREAKING** We've lost a friend today. Doc Neeson of the The Angels has died. #RIPDoc pic.twitter.com/CvNp51oGxi— Grill Team (@GrillTeam) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: **BREAKING** We've lost a friend today. Doc Neeson of the The Angels has died. #RIPDoc pic.twitter.com/CvNp51oGxi— Grill Team (@GrillTeam) June 4, 2014

Doc Neeson: How very sad. Very fond memories (well hazy) seeing Angels at ANU refectory, Captain Cook Club. — Stephen Koukoulas (@TheKouk) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Doc Neeson: How very sad. Very fond memories (well hazy) seeing Angels at ANU refectory, Captain Cook Club.— Stephen Koukoulas (@TheKouk) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Doc Neeson: How very sad. Very fond memories (well hazy) seeing Angels at ANU refectory, Captain Cook Club.— Stephen Koukoulas (@TheKouk) June 4, 2014

A sad day. RIP Doc Neeson. http://t.co/0mhsmTBp16 pic.twitter.com/dPe7aC0VlZ — Triple M Melbourne (@TripleMMelb) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: A sad day. RIP Doc Neeson. http://t.co/0mhsmTBp16 pic.twitter.com/dPe7aC0VlZ— Triple M Melbourne (@TripleMMelb) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: A sad day. RIP Doc Neeson. http://t.co/0mhsmTBp16 pic.twitter.com/dPe7aC0VlZ— Triple M Melbourne (@TripleMMelb) June 4, 2014

RIP Doc Neeson. I had the pleasure of doing a gig with him once. Consummate performer. Really knew how to work a crowd. And a good bloke. — Ken Eastwood (@kensbigbackyard) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: RIP Doc Neeson. I had the pleasure of doing a gig with him once. Consummate performer. Really knew how to work a crowd. And a good bloke.— Ken Eastwood (@kensbigbackyard) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: RIP Doc Neeson. I had the pleasure of doing a gig with him once. Consummate performer. Really knew how to work a crowd. And a good bloke.— Ken Eastwood (@kensbigbackyard) June 4, 2014

Very sad to hear of the passing of Doc Neeson, former lead singer of @TheAngelsBand. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. — Universal Music Aus (@umusicAU) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Very sad to hear of the passing of Doc Neeson, former lead singer of @TheAngelsBand. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.— Universal Music Aus (@umusicAU) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Very sad to hear of the passing of Doc Neeson, former lead singer of @TheAngelsBand. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.— Universal Music Aus (@umusicAU) June 4, 2014

Very sad to hear of the passing of Doc Neeson, former lead singer of @TheAngelsBand. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. — Universal Music Aus (@umusicAU) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Very sad to hear of the passing of Doc Neeson, former lead singer of @TheAngelsBand. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.— Universal Music Aus (@umusicAU) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Very sad to hear of the passing of Doc Neeson, former lead singer of @TheAngelsBand. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.— Universal Music Aus (@umusicAU) June 4, 2014

Am rocked. 'Doc' Neeson of The Angels has died after a battle with cancer. 1st band I ever saw live. #RIPDocNeeson #MrDamage — John Sertori (@Adorimedia) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Am rocked. 'Doc' Neeson of The Angels has died after a battle with cancer. 1st band I ever saw live. #RIPDocNeeson #MrDamage— John Sertori (@Adorimedia) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Am rocked. 'Doc' Neeson of The Angels has died after a battle with cancer. 1st band I ever saw live. #RIPDocNeeson #MrDamage— John Sertori (@Adorimedia) June 4, 2014

Damn...sad to see #DocNeeson has gone...hopefully having a hell of gig somewhere with Ted Mulray, Marc Hunter, Bon Scott & other legends — Andrew McDonald (@ThoughtsOfAGM) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Damn...sad to see #DocNeeson has gone...hopefully having a hell of gig somewhere with Ted Mulray, Marc Hunter, Bon Scott & other legends— Andrew McDonald (@ThoughtsOfAGM) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Damn...sad to see #DocNeeson has gone...hopefully having a hell of gig somewhere with Ted Mulray, Marc Hunter, Bon Scott & other legends— Andrew McDonald (@ThoughtsOfAGM) June 4, 2014

@ThoughtsOfAGM really sad, one of the true pioneers of Aussie Rock, never forget him jumping from the "box" onto the speakers at the Civic — Todd Blackwell (@rawprawn25) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: @ThoughtsOfAGM really sad, one of the true pioneers of Aussie Rock, never forget him jumping from the "box" onto the speakers at the Civic— Todd Blackwell (@rawprawn25) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: @ThoughtsOfAGM really sad, one of the true pioneers of Aussie Rock, never forget him jumping from the "box" onto the speakers at the Civic— Todd Blackwell (@rawprawn25) June 4, 2014

Vale Doc Neeson, most potent memory of young suburban life was watching The Angels blow the roof off Blacktown RSL sometime early 80s. — Adrian Michaels (@AdrianLMichaels) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Vale Doc Neeson, most potent memory of young suburban life was watching The Angels blow the roof off Blacktown RSL sometime early 80s.— Adrian Michaels (@AdrianLMichaels) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Vale Doc Neeson, most potent memory of young suburban life was watching The Angels blow the roof off Blacktown RSL sometime early 80s.— Adrian Michaels (@AdrianLMichaels) June 4, 2014

RIP Doc Neeson, great shame we are never gonna see your face again. Take a long line...... — Seb Goldsmith (@SebGoldsmith90) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: RIP Doc Neeson, great shame we are never gonna see your face again. Take a long line......— Seb Goldsmith (@SebGoldsmith90) June 4, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: RIP Doc Neeson, great shame we are never gonna see your face again. Take a long line......— Seb Goldsmith (@SebGoldsmith90) June 4, 2014

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