SYDNEY – Greg Ham, a musician with the iconic Australian band Men at Work, was found dead in his Melbourne home on Thursday, Australian reports said.
Victoria state police confirmed that the deceased was the 58-year-old resident of the house but did not identify him by name,. Mr. Ham was 58, and neighbors said he was the lone occupant of the house.
Two friends who had not heard from Mr. Ham in some time found the body after going to check on him, police said, declining to release any details on how Mr. Ham died.
“There are a number of unexplained aspects to it which has caused our attendance here today, and we’re assisting the local detectives to determine what has occurred,” Detective Senior Sergeant Shane O’Connell told reporters.
Mr. Ham was perhaps best known for playing the famous flute riff in the band’s smash 1980s hit “Down Under.” But the beloved tune came under intense scrutiny in recent years after the band was accused of stealing the catchy riff from the children’s campfire song “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree.” The publisher of “Kookaburra” sued Men at Work, and in 2010 a judge ruled the band had copied the melody. The group was ordered to hand over a portion of its royalties. AP
