Skyhooks legend Bob Starkie dies aged 73

Legendary Skyhooks guitarist Bob “Bongo” Starkie has died aged 73 after a battle with cancer with his family thanking fans for all their support until “the very end”.

Geelong resident and Aussie music legend Bob ‘Bongo’ Starkie has died. Picture: Alan Barber

Legendary Skyhooks guitarist Bob ‘Bongo’ Starkie has died after a battle with cancer aged 73.

Starkie passed away peacefully on Saturday while listening to Chuck Berry and surrounded by his family.

“Our dearest Grand-Daddy-Bop has peacefully departed listening to Chuck Berry snuggling with his fur baby Bonnie, surrounded by friends and family,” his daughter, Indiana, said in a statement.

“Daughters Indiana and Arabella, grandchildren Phoenix and Lucia, partner Chrissy, great mate Ian and son-in-laws Simon and Chris will miss him dearly.

“Thank you for all your support, he has felt till the very end”.

Skyhooks lead singer Shirley Strachan, guitarist Red Symons and Freddie Strauks (front); Greg Macainsh and Bob Bongo Starkie (back).

His death was announced via the Skyhooks Facebook page.

“It’s with sadness in our hearts that we have to send out this news that early this morning Bob “Bongo” Starkie has passed away,” the post read.

“For the past year he has fought the brave fight against leukemia hoping to get back on the road to perform more shows. Music was in his blood till the very end.

“Bob was the guitarist in the iconic Skyhooks, the youngest in the band and he embraced the theatrics from striking facial make up to unique stage costumes. The music always came first and touring and playing onstage was his absolute joy.

“The members of Skyhooks are exceptionally saddened by the loss of our bandmate, and send their condolences to Bob’s family.”

Shirley Strachan and Greg Macainsh, Bob Starkie, Red Symons and Freddie Strauks.

Bob Starkie in 1988.

Skyhooks was an iconic Australian band thanks to their albums including Living In the ‘70s and Ego Is Not A Dirty Word. Their hits included Living in the ‘70s, Horror Movie, All My Friends Are Getting Married, Ego Is Not A Dirty Word, Blue Jeans, Women In Uniform, Million Dollar Riff and Jukebox In Siberia.

Starkie discovered he had Acute Myeloid Leukemia in late January 2025 and was immediately admitted to hospital in Geelong and started treatment, causing the postponement of a raft of his Bob ‘Bongo’ Starkie’s Skyhooks Shows.

By May he was back on stage, appearing in the Stars of Countdown show.

However, while he fought hard, ultimately he could not win his battle with cancer.

Starkie lived a life of adventure on and off stage.

He joined Skyhooks when the band was in its infancy in 1973 and his brother, Peter, decided to leave the line up.

Bob ‘Bongo’ Starkie with his daughters, Indiana Starkie-Robertson, Arabella Frahn-Starkie and granddaughter Lucia, 11. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

“Peter asked me to give him a lift to this gig out in Donvale,” Starkie told the Sunday Herald Sun in May.

“On the way home Peter said, ‘I am actually leaving the band’ so I called Greg (Macainsh) and tried out.

“Of course, I turned up with a van and I was good looking and I could play better than I thought I could.

“Shortly after that their other guitarist left and Red Symons joined and that is when I knew we were on to something.

“So, I got into the band, purely by chance. If I had not driven Peter out to that gig I would not have been in the band, it would have been someone else, and as it turned out they got a real little pop star.”

Bob Starkie in 1983.

The band broke up in 1980, but reformed briefly in 1983, and again in 1984 and then got back together to record new music in 1990.

“When I left Skyhooks (in 1980) I got into the advertising business doing jingles for the likes of Four ‘N Twenty Pies, Vaseline, Allens lollies, and film soundtracks,” Starkie said.

He then bought a nightclub in Collingwood called The Jump Club.

“That was a pretty good rocking joint. I ran that for five years,” he said.

After selling the club, Starkie headed to Brazil, keen to check out the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, where he met British artist Andrew Hewkin.

Hewkin eventually introduced him to Ronnie Biggs, the British rogue who was involved in The Great Train Robbery in 1963. Biggs was living in Rio.

Freddie Strauks, Shirley Strachan, Red Symons and Bob Starkie in 1976.

Greg Macainsh, Bob Starkie and Shirley Strachan in 1984.

“Andrew had a book on the Great Train Robbery, he had all the other signatures and arranged to get Ronnie’s signature,” Starkie said.

“I said ‘tell him I am from Melbourne’, Ronnie used to live in Melbourne, and I was at my hotel and got a call, ‘Ronnie says come up, this is the address’.’’

The pair hit it off and soon he and Biggs bought a house on an island about 90 minutes south of Rio.

“We ended up spending months and months doing up this little house. We would go there for two days or three days at a time. We were just like the odd couple in Rio,” Starkie said.

Starkie returned to Australia after about two years, but continued to visit and stay in touch with Biggs up until the UK crime figure suffered a series of strokes and was taken back to England by his son in 2001.

A planned documentary on Biggs never got off the ground, but Starkie has a trove of filmed interviews with the colourful crook and those who interacted with him.

“I still have all the footage,” he said.

“I interviewed Paul Seabourne (who helped Biggs escape from HMP Wandsworth prison), (Scotland Yard detective) Jack Slipper, Malcolm McLaren, because Biggs wrote a song called No One Is Innocent with the Sex Pistols, and his wife Charmian in Melbourne. It is all still there.”

Originally published as Skyhooks legend Bob Starkie dies aged 73