Crowded House drummer Hester hanged himself in park

PAUL HESTER, the drummer from popular 1980s Australian rock band, Crowded House, hanged himself in a park in southern Australia, an emergency services spokeswoman said.

Hester, 46, had failed to return home after taking his two dogs for a walk on Friday night. The drummer’s body was later found in a park near his home in the southern Australian city of Melbourne.

Hester played in several small bands before joining the New Zealand group, Split Enz, in 1983.

He and Split Enz singer Neil Finn formed Crowded House in 1985 with bass player Nick Seymour.

Crowded House was one of Australia’s most successful bands in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with international hits such as Don’t Dream it’s Over and Weather With You.

Neil Finn spoke of his grief at losing one of his best friends.

Finn and his brother, Tim, have reportedly cancelled performances at London’s Royal Albert Hall to travel to Melbourne to be with friends.

Hester was known for his crazy on-stage antics but there have been suggestions the drummer struggled with depression.

Peter Green, a long-time friend of Hester, reportedly contacted Finn and Seymour after learning of the drummer’s death.

Green said Hester had experienced “some dark moments,” but dismissed media reports he was struggling with depression or illness at the time of his death.

“Paul never said anything about that and I never, ever, heard he was suffering from any illness,” he said. “I wonder if anybody really knew anything.”

Seymour also expressed surprise at the news, saying he had seen Hester in Ireland two weeks ago.

“It was all good,” Seymour said. “The last words Paul told me were: ‘I love you, mate. See you in town (Melbourne) in a month.’”

Hester quit Crowded House in 1994.

He is survived by his girlfriend, Mardi Sommerfield, and their two daughters, aged eight and 10.