Peter de Jong, frontman of Newcastle rock band Heroes, dies

Peter de Jong, the singer, songwriter, and frontman of the Newcastle rock band Heroes, has died. His passing follows an announcement in August that he would be retiring from the music industry.

De Jong was a central figure in the Newcastle music community for over five decades. He first rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the band Armageddon, winning the Newcastle round of Hoadley’s Battle of the Sounds. In 1977, he formed Heroes alongside Mark Tinson, Jim Porteous, and Phil Screen.

The band became part of Australian music folklore due to their performance on the final night of the Star Hotel in September 1979. The event ended in a riot in King Street after police intervened to stop the band's set. This incident helped propel Heroes to a national profile and led to a recording deal with Albert Productions, where they recorded their self-titled debut album with Harry Vanda and George Young.