Former members of AC/DC have honoured guitarist Malcom Young, alongside his brother Angus, at a funeral service in Sydney today (November 28).
The guitarist died earlier this month at the age of 64. He had suffered from dementia for several years and passed away peacefully, according to a statement from his family.
The funeral was held at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney and was attended by his brother and AC/DC co-founder Angus, former frontman Brian Johnson, ex-bassists Cliff Williams and Mark Evans, and former drummer Phil Rudd. According to Rolling Stone, none of the band’s previous members spoke during the public portion of the ceremony.
While the service was happening, Young’s guitar – dubbed “The Beast” – rested on top of his coffin. Angus later carried the instrument to the hearse when the ceremony was over.
The service was run by Monsignor Tony Doherty, who told those gathered he had been listening to AC/DC’s back catalogue recently. “Once in a while and only once in a while, someone comes along who truly understands, who has a gift to transfer all those needs and emotions into music,” he said. “This genius of music and song had been cruelly struck silent.”
Meanwhile, Young’s nephew Bradley Horsburgh said: “He was famous for rhythm, but infamous for boating skills. We could almost blame him personally for rising sea levels caused by too many anchors lost at sea.”