Crowded House’s Hester Dies
After disappearing on Friday while out walking his dogs, Paul Hester, drummer for Eighties pop band Crowded House, was found hanged in a park near his home in Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday. Hester was forty-six years old.
In 1983, Hester joined New Wavers Split Enz, which became the first New Zealand group to find a following abroad. He played on their last album, See Ya Round, before going on to form Australian band Crowded House with Split Enz singer Neil Finn two years later.
Along with bassist Nick Seymour and guitarist Craig Hooper, Crowded House went on to become one of Australia’s most successful bands in the late Eighties and early Nineties. Their self-titled, 1986 debut peaked at Number Twelve on the album chart and spawned the Top Ten hits “Don’t Dream, It’s Over” and “Something So Strong.”
In 1994, Hester decided to leave the band to spend more time with his family, and Crowded House toured with a session drummer. Three years later, Hester formed a new band, Largest Living Things, which played regular gigs and released music locally. He also hosted a music show on Australia’s ABC network, had a recurring role on the children’s program The Wiggles and opened a tea house on nearby Elwood Beach.
