Chris Welsh obit

Longtime Died Pretty Drummer Chris Welsh Passes Away

 

He was not on the list.

“Chris was an integral part of the band and much loved and we will miss him dearly.”

Chris Welsh, the longtime drummer of Sydney rock outfit Died Pretty, has passed away, the group have confirmed.

News of Welsh’s death was reported by the official Died Pretty social media channels.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our drummer Chris Welsh who died on Thursday evening surrounded by his wife Neung and children Jack and Louis,” they wrote. “Chris had been battling cancer with for a number of years now with great dignity and courage.

“Chris was an integral part of the band and much loved and we will miss him dearly.”

As the group noted, Welsh had been battling lung cancer since 2023, at which time a GoFundMe campaign was launched to raise money in his fight against the disease.

Welsh provided updates via the campaign in the ensuing years, though last month, former Died Pretty bandmate Robbie Warren told fans the cancer had spread onwards to his liver, stomach, and one of his kidneys. Days later, Welsh’s children revealed he was in palliative care.

Welsh’s passing follows on from the death of Died Pretty vocalist Ron Peno, whose own battle with cancer came to an end in 2023.

Died Pretty first formed in 1983, with Peno and Brett Myers the only constants throughout the band's history. Welsh would come on board in 1985, taking over the kit from Colin Barwick.

He would perform on the group's first five albums – including 1986's debut Free Dirt, 1991's Doughboy Hollow, and 1993’s Trace, which peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA charts – before briefly departing in 1992, and later exiting again in 1995.

Though the band themselves would split in 2002, Welsh would again sit in with the band for all their reunions over the years.

Died Pretty would formally split for the final time in 2023 following the death of Peno, though they had already cancelled a planned tour for that same year due to the health issues of both Peno and Welsh.

In addition to his work as a member of Died Pretty, Welsh also performed as a member of both A.R.M. and Settlement, and had contributed to acts such as McQueen Street and Holocene.