Max Merritt, ARIA Hall of Fame Inductee, Dies at 79 - Billboard

Max Merritt, the ARIA Hall of Fame inductee best known for the soulful songs “Slippin’ Away” and “Hey, Western Union Man”, died Thursday (Sept. 24) in a Los Angeles hospital following a long battle with a rare illness.

Born in Christchurch, New Zealand on April 30, 1941, Merritt made his mark when he formed The Meteors in the 1950s and reeled off a string of catchy rock ‘n’ roll numbers, including "Get a Haircut," "Kiss Curl" and "C'mon Let's Go.".

Soon, Merritt and his band outgrew Christchurch and by 1962 they’d relocated to Auckland, and later, Australia, where he earned the moniker “king of Soul”.

With the Meteors, Merritt had a No.

During the ‘60s, Merritt relocated to England, and from the ‘70s he would call the United States home.

The likes of Daryl Braithwaite, John Paul Young, James Reyne and Ross Wilson joined forces with over 50 musicians and 70 production crew for the event, which raised $200,000 ($191,000) to cover Merritt’s medical bills.

He was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2008 alongside Dragon, Russell Morris and The Triffids.

On the night, Merritt was joined on stage by fellow Hall of Famer Kasey Chambers and Bill Chambers to perform his signature song, "Slippin' Away".

“We're incredibly saddened to learn that one of our all time greats, Max Merritt has passed away,” reads a social media post.

We're incredibly saddened to learn that one of our all time greats, Max Merritt has passed away.