Veteran Australian rock guitarist and songwriter Lobby Loyde has died at the age of 64. He had suffered with lung cancer for some time, but succumbed to brain tumours at the weekend.
Starting his career with the band Purple Hearts, he later became a leading figure in the Aussie pub rock scene of the 1970s as a member of both The Aztecs and Coloured Balls. A mentor to many musicians, he is cited as an influence by the likes of Kurt Cobain and Henry Rollins.
Rose Tattoo's Angry Anderson said of Loyde in 2006: "More than anyone else, Lobby helped create the Australian guitar sound. Long before Angus Young or Billy Thorpe or the Angels or Rose Tattoo. Lobby inspired Australian bands to step forward and play as loud and aggressively as they could. People are still trying to copy it today."
Former bandmate Gavin Carroll says: "He never said a bad word about anyone and always made you feel like you were the greatest".