William Shakespeare (John Cave) passes away
John Cave, better known under his stage name of William Shakespeare, passed away this week (5th Oct 2010) aged 61.
He shot to prominence in the early 70’s under the guidance and songwriting skills of Vanda & Young. His high pitched voice was quite distinctive and he soon gained a measure of fame but unfortunatly was brought undone with a conviction for carnal knowledge.
John never regained his career and soon slipped into a cycle of depression and substance abuse that saw him treated in the notorious Chelmsford Private Hospital, the same place where Stevie Wright & many others were abused and experimented on. Whilst he sold many records he wasn’t the writer of his hits & once the gigs dried up he received no ongoing money for his efforts.
Australian charity Support Act Limited had been instrumental in helping John through the last part of his life and are also helping with funeral arrangements as John had no immediate family. Support Act Limited was setup to help Aussie musicians who fall on hard times and can be supported themselves with a donation. Check their website here.
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Sad,that he died,but i kinda expected it.I saw Him and had a drink with him@ Pete Wells wake a few years ago now and could see he was in a bad way. Saw him get up a sing some of his hits with the house band @the Flemo markets Club and He was alot more comfortable onstage performing.
Sad news – his two hits gave him a place in Australian musical history – but reveal the undertow of fame and infamy – in his case. The music lives on.
[…] only became aware of recently. It was through hearing about the work these wonderful people did for John Cave before he sadly passed away. They had helped him pay a few bills and sorted some accomodation for […]
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[…] only became aware of recently. It was through hearing about the work these wonderful people did for John Cave before he sadly passed away. They had helped him pay a few bills and sorted some accommodation for […]
I had no idea he had passed away
loved both the hit songs and the glam rock clothes
Vanda and Young absolute legends sad he fell.on hard times
missed L
Yes he was at a club once and did want to sing .but band leader did not know him l suppose thats the way it sometimes goes i did like him .and his songs
Wat seems to be ignored int his case is that it was later revealed the “sex with a minor” was a Honeytrap set up by the Age Newspaper and the “15 year old” was a 21 year old prozzie the paper had hired. Poor bastard never had a chance.