Michael Gudinski to receive state funeral

Victoria, the home state of Michael Gudinski, will hold a state funeral for the late promoter, its premier has announced.

Gudinski, the Frontier Touring founder known as the ‘father of the Australian music industry’, passed away suddenly on Monday (1 March). Bruce Springsteen, Kyle Minogue, Live Nation, TEG and his longtime friend and business partner, Michael Chugg, were among those to pay tribute.

Daniel Andrews, premier of Victoria, told press yesterday Gudinski’s widow, Sue, had agreed to a state funeral for her late husband.

“I think we will be able to come together in an iconic venue and celebrate his life”

“I went and saw Sue last night and offered her and the family a state funeral for an amazing Victorian,” he told local media. Gudinski was born and raised in Caulfield, a suburb of state capital Melbourne.

The funeral, said Andrews, “will be a celebration of his life”, with the details finalised in the coming days.

“It’s got to be Covid-safe, of course,” he added, “but I think we will be able to come together in an iconic venue and celebrate his life and the mark that he made and the legacy he leaves.”

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Ben Kouijzer’s funeral to take place this weekend

The funeral of Ben Kouijzer, the popular CAA agent whose death last month devastated his colleagues and friends in the industry, will take place in London this Saturday (12 December).

Kouijzer, formerly of UTA, passed away aged 36 in November from complications related to malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour, an aggressive form of cancer for which he had he had been receiving treatment since summer 2019.

Paying tribute, Emma Banks, co-head of CAA’s London office, said everyone who met Kouijzer “immediately loved him”, describing the agent as a “fantastic agent, but more than that simply a great human being”.

The funeral will be streamed live on Vimeo, allowing friends from across the world to attend the event, which starts at 1pm GMT. Those wishing to view the stream are advised to log on 15 minutes early.

To watch the funeral, simply bookmark this page, or go directly to the event page on Vimeo: vimeo.com/event/528786.

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