In unexpected and devastating news, Mental as Anything founding member and frontman Andrew “Greedy” Smith has passed away aged 63. The beloved entertainer was moving into a new home in Sydney with his fiance when he suffered a heart attack driving his car on Monday evening. An ambulance promptly arrived on the scene to provide treatment but he later died.
Band Manager Grant Bartlett, who has managed Mental As Anything for 16 years, said Smith’s fatal heart problem came as a surprise, saying he was “one of the healthiest guys I’ve seen.” The singer, songwriter and keyboardist was currently on tour with the Mentals having performed in southern NSW’s Tathra on Saturday night with another show lined up in east Melbourne on Thursday night.
The band released a statement this morning, saying their “grief and confusion at this time are little compared to what Andrew’s family will be feeling.”
Mental as Anything were formed in Sydney in 1977 by Smith, along with Reg Mombassa, Martin Plaza, Wayne “Bird” Delisle and Peter O’Doherty. They became one of the most popular Australian bands of their era with a string of hits through the 1980s including The Nips Are Getting Bigger and If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?
One of their biggest hits Live It Up, written by Greedy, reached No. 2 on the Australian charts and enjoyed success overseas, peaking at No. 3 in the UK, when it featured on the soundtrack of Crocodile Dundee in 1986.
Mental As Anything had just released Surf & Mull & Sex & Fun, a collection of their classic recordings on vinyl in October. X-Press spoke to Greedy Smith about the release and his colourful career with the Mentals in an interview which will be published in the coming days.
RIP Andrew “Greedy” Smith, aged 63. He is survived by his son Harvey, fiancée Fiona Docker and brother Stuart.
