Michael Hutchence, the enigmatic INXS frontman, captured the attention of the world until his untimely death 20 years ago.
Caught up in whirlwind of celebrity and tabloid drama, the rock star from the Australian band was found hanged in his room at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Double Bay, Sydney, on November 22, 1997.
Having found himself embroiled in a custody drama involving his partner, British TV presenter Paula Yates, and her ex-husband Sir Bob Geldof, the final year of Hutchence's life was difficult.
"He was not happy living in London and it was a conundrum because his child (Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily) was in London but he was being just savaged by the press over there and it was very hard for him," Hutchence's half-sister Tina Schorr recently told the Seven Network in a documentary released ahead of Wednesday's 20th anniversary of his death.
But in the years before that, Hutchence had been a chart-topper with INXS, memorably bewitching 70,000 people at London's Wembley Stadium in July 1991.
Alongside keyboardist Andrew Farriss, Hutchence wrote some of the band's biggest hits such as Never Tear US Apart and Need You Tonight.
"He was really interested in literature, he was very articulate, very well-read. He always had a really sparky idea or take on things and I think that was an incredible contribution," Farriss told AAP.
The stylish and effortlessly cool performer was nicknamed "Elvis" by his fellow bandmates, but the attention-seeking showman also had a lot of time for anybody who came into his orbit.
"Michael had tremendous empathy for other people's problems. Michael wasn't just a self-involved narcissistic guy," Farriss said.
"My understanding is the Australian prime minister Bob Hawke, his daughter was struggling at the time with perhaps some addiction issues and Michael was trying to help her."
Before his death, Hutchence was working on solo music, but the Farriss brothers believed he would have returned to the band.
"So long as we gave Michael enough space and room to go do what he wanted whenever he wanted to do it, he'd always come back to us. That was never a question in my mind," guitarist Tim Farriss said.
Toby Creswell, author of the biography Shine Like it Does: The life of Michael Hutchence, describes the rock star as a man of contradictions.
"He was such a whimsical gentle kind of guy, almost not there but very much there when he wanted to be. He was a massive contradiction," Creswell told AAP.
Since his death, Hutchence's family have tried to claim back his estate but most of it has been squirrelled away in offshore assets, according to the recent Paradise Papers expose.
"He had a kind of difficult family ... and people have tried to paint that as being predatory. I think they did annoy him and get on his nerves but he still was dedicated to them," Creswell said.
"Family was really critical to him."
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