Last week, the day before New Year’s Eve, when the world was preparing itself for a global celebration, a man made famous by loud noise silently passed away. People die every day, certainly, but this man was truly something special. A hero, a genius, a gentleman. An icon.

 On December 30th, 2009, the legendary Rowland Stuart Howard was killed by liver cancer. He didn’t die – that seems far too active a verb, as though choice were involved – no, the passive is far more accurate. He was killed.

Howard, an Australian rock ‘n’ roll luminary, played in bands such as The Young Charlatans, The Birthday Party, The Boys Next Door and These Immortal Souls, before releasing two critically acclaimed solo albums – 1999′s Teenage Snuff Film and 2009′s Pop Crimes, the latter receiving the title of Mess+Noise’s number one album on the 2009 Critics’ Poll just a week before his death.

I had the joy of witnessing him on my birthday last year at the Oxford Art Factory in Sydney to a sold out crowd. It seemed a triumphant return – the room was dangerously full, it was impossible to move, and the crowd was completely in awe of him. I knew he was ill – we all did – but never could we have predicted that this – my first time seeing him – would also be our last. Howard cancelled shows in later months due to his illness, such as Sydney’s Homebake, but we still didn’t think it was the final days. I didn’t, at least. That’s what perhaps made it all so shocking – his new album, his new fans, and the promise of more great music to come, felt like too much of a new beginning to actually be the end.

The Australian independent music scene is still in mourning. Howard’s myspace site  (for which it seems only he had the log-in details, as no mention of his death can be found – instead, it’s just… stopped) is still being commented upon by grieving fans. Howard’s funeral and wake will be held this evening, January 7th 2010, in St Kilda. Everything will be open to the public – details below. Do yourself a favour, and find out about this man and his music. Make sure he lives on. Rest in peace, Rowland.

Funeral and wake of Rowland S. Howard: Thursday, 7 January 2009 Everything will be open to the public.

 Service: The Sacred Heart Mission 87 Grey Street St Kilda VIC 3182, Australia (03) 9537 1166

Wake: St Kilda Bowling Club 66 Fitzroy St St Kilda VIC 3182, Australia (03) 9537 0370

Service starts at 3.00pm Wake starts at 5.00pm

 JP Shilo will perform ”Sleep”, and the song ”Autoluminescent” will be featured. Rowland’s sister, Angela Howard, will read the eulogy written by Angela, Genevieve McGuckin and Harry Howard. Genevieve hopes to see a queue for Rowland down Grey Street.