Malcolm Young, a co-founder of the hard-rock band AC/DC, has died. For nearly four decades, the band has been one of the most popular in the world.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Sonymusic/C. Taylor Crothers
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Legendary AC/DC rock star Malcolm Young has died at the age of 64, the band said on its website on Saturday.
"With enormous dedication and commitment, he was the driving force behind the band," his brother Angus and fellow co-founder of AC/DC said on the website. "As a guitarist, songwriter and visionary, he was a perfectionist and a unique man."
The Australian rock band was formed in 1973 and by the end of the decade had burst out into the international music scene by making its mark in the United States
For nearly four decades, AC/DC topped the charts with hard-hitting albums such as Highway to Hell and For Those About to Rock We Salute You.
AC/DC albums have sold more than 200 million copies, making them one of the world's top-selling artists.
A photo from the 1980s shows AC/DC band members (left to right): Cliff Williams, Malcolm Young, Simon Wright, Angus Young and Brian Johnson. Image: picture-alliance/United Archives
Iconic status
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
Music magazine Rolling Stone listed AC/DC as one of the top 100 greatest artists.
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"AC/DC's rowdy image, giant riffs and macho lyrics about sex, drinking and damnation have helped make them one of the top hard-rock bands in history," Rolling Stone wrote in a biography of the group.
Unlike many rock bands from the 1970s, AC/DC continued to tour and produce records despite the loss of several members, including the death of former singer Bon Scott in 1980.
AC/DC's last album Rock or Bust was released in 2014, and the band went on tour in 2015-16.
Malcolm Young retired from the band in 2014, shortly after it was announced he was receiving treatment for dementia.
AC/DC: Four decades of rock
AC/DC's co-founder Malcolm Young has died at the age of 64. A look back at the legendary band's career.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Sonymusic/C. Taylor Crothers
Made in Sydney
Born in Scotland, brothers Angus and Malcolm Young grew up in Sydney, Australia. Their band went through several line-up changes before releasing its first major studio album, "High Voltage," in 1976. Although the group was originally panned by Rolling Stone as a "gross-out" band, time has seen the LP attain classic status.
Image: picture-alliance/Jazzarchiv/H. Schiffler
Old-time rock and roll
Some critics have said that AC/DC was the first major heavy metal band, and most would call the band hard rock - the Young brothers always insisted that their music was just good old rock and roll.
Image: picture-alliance/Jazzarchiv/H. Schiffler
On the road
AC/DC embarked on their first major international tour alongside Black Sabbath in 1977, now with singer and lyricst Bon Scott (left), who would help the band skyrocket to worldwide acclaim. Scott died in 1980 at the age of 33.
Image: picture-alliance/Jazzarchiv/H. Schiffler
Back in Black
After the success of 1979's "Highway to Hell," the following year AC/DC released the album that would define their career: Back in Black. With over 50 million copies sold worldwide, it is the second-bestselling album in history after Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
Image: picture-alliance/Jazzarchiv/H. Schiffler
Rock is forever
AC/DC has gone through many ups and downs over the years, including losing drummer Phil Rudd after he was charged with trying to procure a murder. For the band's 2016 world tour, they announced that Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose would take over as lead singer.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Photoshot
Death of a legend
Malcolm Young has died at the age of 64. While the band has not announced a cause of death, Young retired from AC/DC in 2014 to receive treatment for dementia.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Sonymusic/C. Taylor Crothers
