Crispin Dye

Crispin Dye (1951/2 – 25 December 1993) who used the stage name Chris Kemp, was an Australian musician and the manager of rock bands AC/DC and Rose Tattoo.

Crispin Dye
Born1951/1952
Died25 December 1993
St George Hospital (Sydney)
Cause of deathHomicide
NationalityAustralian
Other namesChris Kemp
Occupation(s)Musician, band manager
Notable workFly on the Wall (AC/DC album) (contributor)

His killing in December 1993 remained unsolved and continued to be investigated in 2023.

Life

Dye was born to mother Jean Dye[1] in 1951 or 1952[2] and lived in both Cairns[3] and Willoughby.[1]

In the early 1980s, Dye worked for Albert Music supporting rock band AC/DC[4] before taking over as the band's manager from Ian Jeffrey.[5][6] During his ten years managing the band, Dye won a gold record for his role in the production of the album Fly On The Wall.[7]

A singer-songwriter,[8] Dye also managed the rock band Rose Tattoo[3] and worked with The Easybeats.[1] Dye used the stage name Chris Kemp for his solo musical works.[3] In 1993, he released his first solo album A Heart Like Mine.[1]

Killing

Dye was attacked in Darlinghurst, Sydney on December 23, 1993.[9] He had been celebrating the release of his debut solo album.[2] Dye was intoxicated at the time of his attack, which occurred at around 4:30 a.m. on Campbell Street,[9] near Taylor Square, Sydney.[10] His attackers stole his wallet.[9]

He was found unconscious near the Kinselas Hotel[3] and taken to St Vincent's Hospital.[7] He died in St George Hospital on December 25.[1]

Aftermath

Police investigated Dye's killing in 1993. An inquest also took place from 1994 to 1995.[3] The results of the inquest were inconclusive,[2] but linked his death to a statement made by a prisoner who said that he had "knocked off" Dye.[8] In 2013, Dye's killing appeared in a Fairfax Media production about unsolved murders.[1] In 2014, police offered a $100,000 reward for information on his killing.[3]

In 2023, his death continued to be investigated by police.[11] Dye's sexuality was ambiguous to some of his friends, who believed he was possibly gay or bisexual.[3] In 2014, Dye's mother told The Sydney Morning Herald that he spoke of his many girlfriends and quoted Crispin saying "People say I'm gay, Mum, but I don't know what I am.”[1] The 2023 police investigation considered that his death may be linked to his sexual identity.[11] Earlier investigations had primarily considered robbery as the motive due to the location of the attack being commonly associated with street robberies.[3]

The 2023 investigation noted that prior police work did not include forensic analysis of the blood-soaked clothing that Dye was found in after his attack.[2] 2023 DNA analysis identified a new suspect, associated with a prior crime.[2]

See also

References
  1. Levy, Rick Feneley and Megan (2014-08-12). "$100,000 reward to find killers of AC/DC manager Crispin Dye". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2023-06-29. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  2. "Person of interest found in AC/DC manager's 1993 murder after DNA breakthrough". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 2023-08-22. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  3. Parkes-Hupton, Heath (2023-06-20). "Bloody clothes left untested by police for 30 years could solve mystery of who killed AC/DC manager". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  4. John Sippel, U.S Issue of AC/DC Film Sparks Litigation, Billboard, Dec 12 1981, pages 3 & 60
  5. Phil Sutcliffe, (2010). AC/DC: High-Voltage Rock 'n' Roll: The Ultimate Illustrated History. United States: Voyageur Press. p129
  6. Mick Wall, (2012). AC/DC: Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be. United Kingdom: Orion.
  7. "Cold case murder investigation into AC/DC manager Crispin Dye's 1993 death offers $100,000 reward". Daily Telegraph. 13 Aug 2014. Archived from the original on 11 February 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  8. Feneley, Rick. "The Gay-Hate Decades: 30 unsolved deaths". SBS News. Archived from the original on 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  9. "Death of Crispin Dye". New South Wales Police Force. 13 August 2014. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  10. Hollinsworth, Harry (28 December 2017). "In the Herald". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 29. ProQuest 1981897631.
  11. "Crispin Dye: New person of interest identified in AC/DC manager death". BBC News. 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.