Men at Work's Greg Ham Devastated by 2010 Ruling

Police probing flute player's death
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 20, 2012 1:07 AM CDT
Updated Apr 20, 2012 1:28 AM CDT

Greg Ham, saxophone and flute player for beloved Aussie rock band Men at Work, was found dead at his Melbourne home yesterday after dropping out of sight a week ago. He was discovered by concerned friends who went to check on the 58-year-old musician, who had been working as a music teacher in recent years, reports the Melbourne Herald-Sun. Police say they are looking into "unexplained issues" surrounding his death, but they are not seeking anybody else in connection to it.

Ham, who recently split from his wife, was devastated by a court decision in 2010 that his famous flute solo in "Land Down Under," the band's best-known song, had been stolen from an Australian children's classic, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. "I'm terribly disappointed that that's how I'm going to be remembered—for copying something," Ham, who had to sell his home to cover legal bills, said at the time. Men at Work frontman Colin Hay described Ham as a beautiful man. "We played in a band and conquered the world together," he said. "I love him very much." (More Greg Ham dead stories.)

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