Spilt Enz/Crowded House/Bay Of Pigs drummer Paul Hester has died in Melbourne. Talked to him once on the phone and knew from some people who worked for the Wiggles that he was a really good guy. It's a shame, as it always is when these things happen.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12676559-2,00.html

Wow, terribly sad.

I love the Crowdies. Was really sad to hear this.

It's especially odd given that all of the Finn Bros. new material is thematically based around coping with depression and hurt. Maybe some of this writing was about Hester.

No way! Oh, that's awful news.

Looks like he must have hanged himself in the park. Damn. Another story:

MELBOURNE - Paul Hester, the drummer from the Australian rock band Crowded House, was found hanged in a park near his home, say health officials in Melbourne.

Hester died from strangulation and was already dead by the time an ambulance reached the park on Saturday, according to Liraje Memishi of the Metropolitan Ambulance Service. The 46-year-old had failed to return home Friday after taking his two dogs for a walk.

Hester formed Crowded House in 1985 with singer Neil Finn and bass player Nick Seymour. The group blasted to international success with hits such as "Don't Dream it's Over" and "Something so Strong."

"I have lost one of my best mates," said Finn, speaking to newspapers in London where he is currently touring. "I am devastated."

Hester left the group in 1994, citing the pressures of touring and declining motivation to perform. After leaving, Hester hosted several television and radio shows in Australia.

"The last words Paul told me were: 'I love you mate. See you in [Melbourne],'" said Seymour, who had seen Hester in Ireland two weeks earlier.

Peter Green, a longtime friend, said he had not been aware of any depression.

"Paul never said anything about that ... then, I wonder if anybody really knew anything."

Hester had two daughters, aged eight and 10, with his girlfriend Mardi Sommerfield.

Hester was born in Melbourne in 1959 to Mike and Ann Hester, a jazz drummer. He was encouraged to play the drums by his mother and founded several music groups in the early eighties.

In 1983, he auditioned and won a spot as the drummer for the New Zealand group Split Enz. When members of the group went their separate ways a year later, he formed Crowded House with Split Enz singer/songwriter Neil Finn.

Music industry in shock

Jack Howard, from the band Hunters and Collectors, describes Hester as "the funny man in [the group], and a kind of unsung musical element of the band."

Grant Hansen, another musician friend, called Hester a top drumming talent.

"He's not just one of the best in Australia, he's one of the best in the world."

Hansen said Hester will be missed by many and called his death a "tragic loss."

"I'm sure everyone's got a good story to tell about Paul."

Malcolm Green of Split Enz agrees.

"He was a man with a generous spirit. I had a drum kit stolen a few years ago and I had a big gig," recalls Green. "He called me up and offered me some of his drum kit. It was touching."

one more update, for anyone interested:

Daily Telegraph
March 29, 2005


DRAMATIC details of rock star Paul Hester's death, and his recent split with the woman he hoped to marry, were revealed last night.

Friends told how the Crowded House drummer had suffered turmoil in his love life, first the end of his romance with the mother of his two daughters and then parting with New Zealand singer Kashan, whom he had planned to wed in May.
But 46-year-old Hester gave no indication he was distressed about the break-ups when he took his two pet dogs for a walk on Friday night.

He was found dead on Saturday afternoon after he hanged himself from a tree in a popular suburban park.

Friends revealed that Hester's two-year relationship with Kashan had ended in December after they revealed plans to marry in October. He had also split from his long-time partner, Mardi Sommerfeld, the mother of his daughters, aged 8 and 10.

But friends said Hester had been coping well despite previously undergoing eight years of therapy. They discounted that a broken heart caused the dark spiral that ended in death.

Ambulance officers who were called to Melbourne's Elsternwick Park near his home on Saturday battled for 20 minutes to try to revive him.

The officers reported Hester had "attempted suicide" and suffered "strangulation", ambulance spokeswoman Liraje Memishi said. "They attempted resuscitation but he was dead when they arrived. There was nothing they could do."

They declared Hester dead at 1.20pm. There were no suspicious circumstances.

Speaking of his break-up with 33-year-old Kashan, a family member said: "It was an amicable split, but they stayed in contact and on very friendly terms.

"There was talk of marriage further down the track, but nothing was ever formalised. There was nothing sinister in the split. She didn't run off with somebody else. They remained friends.

"Now she is incredibly devastated by this tragedy and, like everybody else, is asking 'Why?"'

Ms Sommerfeld said yesterday: "We would like Paul to be remembered as the loving father he was, and for the way in which he celebrated life.

"The family is very shocked and saddened by the loss of Paul. He will be greatly missed by all who loved him."

Ms Sommerfeld's statement was co-signed by her daughters, and Hester's father Mike, mother Ann, and sister Carolyn.

Friends who spoke to Hester in the weeks before his death said he gave no hint he was struggling with another bout of depression.

General manager of cable music channel Max, Jacqui Riddell, said she had met Hester recently to run through the next round of Max Sessions, a series of intimate concerts featuring top-shelf music acts performing live.

He kicked off the 2005 season last week with the Jack Johnson concert in Centennial Park on March 18.

"He was normal Paul when I had lunch with him. He really loved doing them," Ms Riddell said.

"Paul's passion, wit and warmth have helped make the Max Sessions special.

"Paul leaves a body of work which demonstrates not only his talent, but his commitment to live music in this country. We will miss him dearly."

Another television colleague said Hester had been approached to film a pilot for a new lifestyle program because of the success of the Max Sessions.

"When I spoke to him last week, he was his usual self, joking about mobile phones and how he still didn't understand how to use them," said the colleague. "He loved doing the Sessions for the most part and mostly he was on fire. Some days not so much.

"The great thing about Paul in that role was you may not have known him but almost everyone in the audience would walk away feeling like they did.

"And his musical background enabled him to communicate with the musicians on a very special level."

Hester continued playing after leaving Crowded House in 1994, recording with many of his Melbourne mates.

He performed with former Crowded House members Neil and Tim Finn in November. The obvious joy of the brief reunion fuelled speculation among fans and industry stalwarts that Crowded House may re-form after nine years.

Fans from Australia, the US and Europe rallied online to send their condolences to Hester's family and friends.

Thanks for the updates, Phil... this is very sad.

Yep, life sucks harder and harder. Hester was a total character. He was like the Aussie version of Keith Moon, full of life and mischief. He was the comedic highlight in most of the early Crowded House videos.

On all aussie cable music channels, there's been nothing but Crowded House/ Split Enz songs played for the last 72 hours, and what's kinda wierd is that in a Crowded House filmclip Paul held this gun to his head repeatedly.....would've been wierder if he shot himself, but still.