Garry Van Egmond: Legendary Australian music promoter known for sold-out AC/DC concerts dies aged 82

Veteran Australian music promoter Garry Van Egmond, has died aged 82, as announced by his friends and family. Based in Melbourne, Van Egmond, known for spearheading AC/DC's tours for three decades, succumbed to complications from surgery on Saturday morning (April 6).

Over his illustrious four-decade career, Van Egmond facilitated the sale of an impressive 35 million tickets across Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Notable among his achievements is the monumental success of AC/DC's 'Black Ice Tour' in 2010, which set a record as the fastest-selling concert in Australian history, with over 520,000 tickets sold in under three hours, making him among the world’s top 25 international promoters by Billboard Magazine that year.

Among Van Egmond's other notable ventures were the organisation of significant tours such as Dire Straits' 'Brothers In Arms Tour' in 1986, which alone sold 250,000 tickets in Sydney, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records. He also orchestrated successful tours for Bette Midler, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Riverdance.

Richard Wilkins, a prominent figure in showbiz, mourned Van Egmond's passing, describing him as "one of the world's great promoters… and a beautiful, elegant, classy guy".

In a heartfelt tribute, his son Christo Van Egmond, who is the director of the family's music touring company TEG Van Egmond, spoke of his grief in a statement on Monday.  He said: “Garry was a true gentleman in the business and was highly regarded and respected by artists, managers, agents, and everyone he worked with.

“He was a superb mentor to me and I have enjoyed working with him for nearly 30 years. Over that time we have presented some amazing events in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. He was a fantastic father and friend to me and will be missed dearly by his family, friends, and colleagues.”

TEG Group CEO Geoff Jones also said in statement: “Today the entire TEG family expresses our sadness and mourns the loss of Garry Van Egmond. Garry was not only a highly valued colleague but a thoroughly decent person, and a resounding talent with the highest integrity. His legacy will stand the test of time.”

Fifa Riccobono, the former chief executive of Albert Music, which manage AC/DC's music catalogue, wrote on Facebook: “Terribly saddened to hear of Garry Van's passing...I worked on tours with Garry over four decades and he was always a pleasure to work with. A great promoter and a wonderful human being.”

Van Egmond leaves behind his daughter Katie, son Christo, and grandchildren Hugo and Saskia.