A 2009 photo of Andrew 'Greedy' Smith (second from right) with his Mental As Anything band mates (L-R) Reg Mombassa, Peter O'Doherty and Martin Plaza. Photo / Getty Images
A 2009 photo of Andrew 'Greedy' Smith (second from right) with his Mental As Anything band mates (L-R) Reg Mombassa, Peter O'Doherty and Martin Plaza. Photo / Getty Images
Andrew 'Greedy' Smith, one of the founders of Australian new wave/pop band Mental As Anything, has died aged 63.
A message posted to the band's Facebook page today said Smith had suffered a fatal heart attack.
"It is with an incredibly heavy heart to announce that one of the foundingmembers of Mental As Anything, Andrew Greedy Smith passed away last night from a heart attack," the statement read.
"Greedy, the only remaining member of the group was currently on a national tour.
"Our grief and confusion at this time are little compared to what Andrew's family will be feeling — our hearts and prayers go out to them.
Smith — who wrote many of Mental As Anything's hit songs, including Live It Up — had been with the band since it formed in the late 1970s.
Reg Mombassa, Martin Plaza, Wayne De Lisle and Peter O'Doherty were the other founding members, though only Smith was still performing with the live band.
In addition to songwriting, he played the keyboard and was the band's co-lead singer.
Smith also released two solo albums: Love Harmonica in 1996 and Greedy's People the following year.
Fans have been paying tribute to the musician on social media, with Shelley Stocken — who worked with Smith on his 1996 solo album — writing: "I don't recall working with a kinder, more giving or more cheerful artist before or since. What a loss!"
I had the pleasure of working with Greedy Smith on his Love Harmonica album in ‘96. I don’t recall working with a kinder, more giving or more cheerful artist before or since. What a loss!
Others reminisced about what the band meant to them while lamenting Smith's loss:
Martin Plaza singing songs Greedy wrote are deeply entrenched in my childhood - the ultimate good time Aussie band who had a work ethic second to none . The nips will be a bit bigger tonight
This is just too sad for words. The Mentals were a massive part of my musical childhood, as they were everyone with taste and humour. Rest easy Greedy, we love you.#GreedySmith#MentalAsAnythinghttps://t.co/NPv6MSs8Ty
