{"id":790044,"date":"2026-07-09T21:59:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T21:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/790044\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T21:59:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T21:59:23","slug":"ac-dc-fans-gather-to-celebrate-what-would-have-been-bon-scotts-80th-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/790044\/","title":{"rendered":"AC\/DC fans gather to celebrate what would have been Bon Scott’s 80th birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"

When asked what she loved most about Bon Scott, Perth woman Catherine Fitzpatrick does not hesitate.<\/p>\n

“He was the greatest frontman in history,” she said.<\/p>\n

On what would have been the AC\/DC lead singer’s 80th birthday on July 9, fans made the pilgrimage to Fremantle’s iconic Bon Scott statue to celebrate the man whose music continues to inspire generations.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Catherine Fitzpatrick says she frequently visits the statue of Bon Scott.\u00a0 (ABC News: Pip Waller)<\/p>\n

The statue in the port city is one that Ms Fitzpatrick frequently visited for her love of both Scott and AC\/DC.<\/p>\n

“I saw them [AC\/DC] at Wembley Stadium because my daughter was living in London at the time and as a teenager, I dreamt of seeing them in Europe,” she said.<\/p>\n

“It was the best concert I’ve ever been to in my life.<\/p>\n

“I’ve kissed the statue 20 times over the years; I just love Bon.”<\/p>\n

The making of a rock icon<\/p>\n

Ronald Belford Scott was born in Scotland in 1946 before emigrating with his family from Scotland some six years later.<\/p>\n

\"Bon<\/p>\n

ACDC singer Bon Scott (left) and guitarist Angus Young (right) put on a show for the crowd circa 1977 in Hollywood. (Getty Images:\u00a0Michael Ochs Archives)<\/p>\n

Often claimed as the ‘son’ of Fremantle, Bon Scott grew up in the Western Australian port city, attending North Fremantle Primary School.<\/p>\n

In 1962, he played drums alongside his father ‘Chick’ on the bagpipes, as members of the Fremantle Scots Pipe Band.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Bon Scott became ACDC’s lead singer in 1974, dying in 1980. (ABC News: Pip Waller)<\/p>\n

The pair performed at the opening of the Empire Games in Perth that same year.<\/p>\n

Bon Scott’s long way to the top<\/a><\/p>\n

Four decades after Bon Scott was found dead in London, the enigmatic AC\/DC star’s closest friends and relatives have spoken of his greatest vulnerability.<\/p>\n

Scott became AC\/DC’s lead singer in 1974, and with the band released six studio albums including It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll), TNT and Highway To Hell.<\/p>\n

Scott died of alcohol poisoning in London in 1980, aged 33.<\/p>\n

His legacy lives on in Fremantle, where a bronze statue overlooking Fishing Boat Harbour was unveiled in 2008, with a memorial also in place at Fremantle Cemetery, where Scott’s ashes are interred.<\/p>\n

The ‘spiritual home’ of Bon Scott<\/p>\n

Despite the milestone, Fremantle was quiet on Thursday, July 9, with celebrations to continue into the weekend.<\/p>\n

The Perth Mint also marked the occasion by launching Bon Scott 80 commemorative gold and silver bars.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The Perth Mint has launched Bon Scott 80 commemorative gold and silver bars. (ABC News: Pip Waller)<\/p>\n

Thursday night’s AFL clash between the Fremantle Dockers and Sydney Swans at Perth’s Optus Stadium will also feature an acknowledgement of Scott during the coin toss.<\/p>\n

Fremantle mayor Ben Lawver said it was an honour to celebrate Scott’s legacy in Fremantle, which he referred to as Scott’s “spiritual home”.<\/p>\n

“Forty-six years after his passing, people still make the journey here because of what he represents,” Mr Lawver said.\"A<\/p>\n

Ben Lawver says it is an honour to celebrate Scott’s legacy in Fremantle.\u00a0 (ABC News: Pip Waller)<\/p>\n

“We’ve had a lot of musicians who have gone on to have really successful careers, but Bon is probably the most famous.<\/p>\n

“He probably wouldn’t have expected to live to 80, but gosh, I would have loved to have seen it.”<\/p>\n

A legacy lives on\"A<\/p>\n

Fans old and new (from left) Leigh Farnell, Cash and August Monahan, and Catherine Fitzpatrick.\u00a0 (ABC News: Pip Waller.\u00a0)<\/p>\n

For Ms Fitzpatrick, Bon Scott’s music is something she hoped to pass on to the next generation, including her grandchildren, Cash and August Monahan.<\/p>\n

“I had to bring my grandchildren down [to the statue] and play Bon’s music because it’s his birthday. I just had to be here,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"Obituary<\/p>\n

Bon Scott still draws people to Fremantle more than 40 years after his death. (ABC News: Pip Waller)<\/p>\n

“Cash loves dancing, he’s very good at it. And I just think his [Scott’s] legacy needs to be carried on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When asked what she loved most about Bon Scott, Perth woman Catherine Fitzpatrick does not hesitate. “He was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":790045,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[81432,21089,64,63,60826,21092,372470,372469,372467,372471,372468,134,46,25962],"class_list":["post-790044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-ac-dc","tag-acdc","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-birthday","tag-bon-scott","tag-bon-scott-ac-dc","tag-bon-scott-acdc","tag-bon-scott-birthday","tag-bon-scott-death","tag-bon-scott-fremantle","tag-entertainment","tag-perth","tag-wa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=790044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790044\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/790045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=790044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=790044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=790044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}