‘Michael visited me in a dream as an owl in a field and he said that he is fine and he is free’

INXS musician Kirk Pengilly has revealed how Michael Hutchence visited him after his death as an owl, and told him he was free.

INXS in 1994, with lead singer Michael Hutchence. Picture: Supplied

Tuesday will mark a sombre anniversary for Australian music, being 25 years since INXS frontman Michael Hutchence was found dead at Sydney’s Ritz Carlton hotel.

INXS musician Kirk Pengilly has revealed in Listnr’s Behind The Hits podcast that Hutchence spoke to him in the guise of an owl days after his death.

“Michael visited me in a dream as an owl in a field and he said that he is fine and he is free and not to worry sort of thing,” Pengilly said.

“I woke up and it might have been 2am or 3am and I went outside and kind of bawled my eyes out and in some ways that was a massive help to me.”

Drummer Jon Farris told the podcast of the original secret plan behind the band taking part in the TV series Rock Star: INXS in 2005, a worldwide reality TV hunt for a new lead singer.

Canadian J D Fortune won the show, but the band had hoped to stun the music world by having a woman win and front INXS.

“Look, we all wanted it to be a girl,” Farris said.

“We loaded it (the show) with girls. It was 15 contestants, 8 girls and 7 guys.

“We already had the name of the album – Switch – it was meant to be switch to a girl.

“The whole thing was set up perfectly (but) she wasn’t there. That was the real honest truth of it. Anyone can get upset and have a tanty, but on the day when we had to tally up whose was the best performance, the girl didn’t make it.

“I still reckon a girl singer for INXS would be awesome. I still believe that. I honestly do. It just isn’t what god wanted, at that time.”

Pengilly said Fortune was the right choice to join the band, but he was not a fan of the singer in the early stages of the reality show.

“I think Rock Star: INXS was amazing,” Pengilly said.

“It was a really unique concept. I am really proud of it.

“Initially we all could not really stand J.D. We thought there is no way that guy is going to be in our band, he is an idiot.

“But we obviously grew to love him and at the final crunch he had pretty much all the goods we were looking for.”

Hutchence was discovered dead in his hotel room on November 22, 1997.