Australian music industry stalwart Garry Van Edmond has passed away over the weekend, following complications from recent surgery.

The founder of TEG Van Egmond, Van Egmond had a career spanning over 50 years in various facets of the industry, including touring, theatrical event production, event merchandising, marketing, and promotion.

He was instrumental in selling more than 35 million tickets across Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. He was responsible for four of the biggest concert tours in Australia, including ‘Dire Straits’ in 1986, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ in 1992, ‘Riverdance’ in 1997, and ‘AC/DC’ in 2010.

One of the highlights of his career was the ‘Brothers In Arms Tour’ by Dire Straits, which sold 250,000 seats in Sydney alone and saw ticket sales of approximately one in 15 to the entire Australian population. In 2010, AC/DC’s ‘Black Ice Tour’ became the fastest selling concert in Australian history, selling over 520,000 tickets in under three hours. The concert went on to sell over 760,000 tickets in Australia and New Zealand.

Van Egmond is survived by his daughter Katie, son Christo, and grandchildren Hugo and Saskia. His son, Christo Van Egmond, will continue to head up TEG Van Egmond, the company Garry was part of. TEG is a global leader in live entertainment, ticketing, and technology and has been at the heart of the live event experience for 50 years.

“Garry was a true gentleman in the business and was highly regarded and respected by artists, managers, agents, and everyone he worked with. He was a superb mentor to me and I have enjoyed working with him for nearly 30 years. Over that time, we have presented some amazing events in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. He was a fantastic Father and friend to me and will be missed dearly by his family, friends, and colleagues,” said Christo Van Egmond, TEG Van Egmond Managing Director.

“Today the entire TEG family expresses our sadness and mourns the loss of Garry Van Egmond. Garry was not only a highly valued colleague but a thoroughly decent person, and a resounding talent with the highest integrity. His legacy will stand the test of time. Our thoughts are with Christo, Katie and his family through these difficult times,” said TEG Group CEO Geoff Jones.