One of Australia’s, if not the world’s, most enduring forces in rock music is set to call it a day.

That’s according to a wave of rumours that have begun circulating indicating that AC/DC will announce their retirement sometime today.

Despite the last official word from the AC/DC camp being that the legendary rockers were gearing up to record a new album and plotting a 40th Anniversary world tour to go with it, veteran entertainment commentator Peter Ford told radio station 3AW early this morning that “the suggestion is being put to me that [the] tour will never happen and we will never see AC/DC perform again or record again.”

Following being pressed about confirmation on the rumours, Ford would not reveal his source but said there is a “sad story” behind the band’s proposed split “that I have chosen not to report,” Ford tweeted, “…boys played together privately a few weeks back.”


Ford’s tweets have also been spruiking 3AW’s accompanying Perth broadcaster 6PR program ‘Rumour File’ for breaking the “AC/DC split”. The same program that this morning was told by an anonymous informant codenamed ‘Thunderstruck’ that “Malcolm Young has moved himself and his family back to Australia, he’s very, very ill, and AC/DC may be history.”

‘Thunderstruck’ saying the unconfirmed reports come from “a good friend of Brian Johnson” and “a friend of Malcolm Young’s son, Ross.”

There’s been no official announcement from the band or their management on the rumours, but further deepening the speculation are the previous reports of a mystery illness that had plagued one of the members of AC/DC, as Brian Johnson revealed earlier this year. “There is some quite sad detail about it all, that I will not be reporting on, but the band/management may choose to reveal this…”

In the same interview where he revealed world tour plans where the band would “try to do 40 gigs, 40 shows, to thank the fans for their undying loyalty,” and starting a new album “in May in Vancouver”, the vocalist revealed that recording for a new album had been delayed owing to “one of our boys [being] pretty ill.”

The member’s identity and health issues were never public disclosed, with Johnson explaining, “we didn’t like to say anything, and we’re very private about things like this.”

Cherry Bar’s co-owner James Young has also added his piece to the rumour mill. “Weeks ago I heard something I kept to myself. The band got together for 40th anniversary show rehearsals and Malcolm had forgotten how to play guitar…. due to a clot on the brain caused by smoking,” Young wrote in a Facebook post this morning.

“I hope and pray this isn’t true and that Malcolm Young will be OK because Malcolm Young is the engine room of the greatest tough rock n roll band the world has ever known,” he added of the elder Young brother, who was recently ranked over Angus in a peer-voted poll of Australia’s 25 Best Guitarists.

While you speculate on whether illness has really scuppered the 40th birthday celebrations of Australia’s most iconic rock band, we’ll continue to investigate. Watch this space.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine