Jimmy Barnes has opened up in a candid interview about his “week from hell”, as he was rocked with three deaths after recovering from Covid-19 and cancelling his tour.
Speaking with Nat Barr and Matt Shirvington on Sunrise, the music legend said it hasn’t been an easy time for his family.
“It’s been a tough couple of weeks,” he said on Friday.
“We lost three people who were really dear to us in a matter of a week.”
Jimmy discussed the devastating losses, saying it began when his sister Linda passed away, just days before his mother-in-law also tragically died.
Barnes said he and his family had gathered around his wife Jane’s mum and played music in her final days.
“Jane’s mother was one of the people who passed away and literally on the day before she died we started singing in her room,” he explained.
“It was like a rockfest, no wonder she wanted to escape,” he laughed.
The music icon said singing his mother-in-law’s “favourite, beautiful songs as she left” was “the best gift” he could give her.
He said, “In a week when you think that nothing else could break your heart, we lost our dear friend Warren Costello,” he wrote on social media at the time.
Barnes was hit with the tragedies just weeks after recovering from a stint with Covid-19 in May, which forced the 66-year-old to cancel shows on his sold-out tour.
“I thought I might be one of those people who was not going to get Covid ever. I was doing everything with the strict protocols on tour,” he explained.
“Lo and behold, I got it while visiting my grandchild in New Zealand. I guess it had to happen sooner or later.”
Despite the recent difficult weeks, Jimmy said he still relies on the power of music to bring him through the darkest days.
He said, “I think music is not only something that brings you together, it is really great for the spirit.”
Image credits: Sunrise footage
This article first appeared on OverSixty.