Mi-Sex bassist Don Martin dies of cancer at 66
Don Martin, bass player, songwriter and latter day manager with Mi-Sex passed away yesterday (August 10) after a battle with prostate cancer. He was 66 years old.
The news was confirmed in a statement to media from the band, which revealed he died peacefully with his life partner Adele, son Damian and daughter Nadia by his side.
“With profound sadness we announce that our friend and bandmate Don Martin, bass player for chart-topping band Mi-Sex, passed away… at 3:30am on August 10.”
Keyboard player Murray Burns described him as “one of the most important, most influential and, most of all, one of the dearest friends in my life,” on the band’s Facebook page.
Martin’s humour and spirituality saw him cope well after being first diagnosed with cancer in 2010, after which he helped reform Mi-Sex.
“To see Don at such peace with what lay ahead has been truly beautiful,” Burns recounted.
In January this year, Martin threw himself a wake at his clifftop property on the NSW/Queensland border and played his final live show.
Joining him were Burns, past and present members Steve Balbi, Travis New, James Van Cooper, Jordan McDonald and Martin’s grand-daughter Tahya.
“Those who have been fortunate to have met Don Martin, or been a part of his amazing life, know just what a special man he was,” the keyboard player recalled.
“Don was a strong man, yet a caring and angelic soul, who always invited a warm embrace.”
Martin began in Hamilton, New Zealand, in the mid-70s, in prog-rock outfits Freeway and Father Thyme, before a team-up with singer Steve Gilpin led to the formation of Mi-Sex, their name taken from the Ultravox song.
In mid-1978 they relocated to Sydney where they were snapped up by CBS (now Sony).
Mi-Sex created their image and live shows had a futuristic robotic Euro-glam feel of the times, with hits as ‘Computer Games’ (#1 in Australia, #5 in NZ, #2 in Canada, #51 USA), ‘People’ and ‘Space Race’.
Albums like Graffiti Crimes and Space Race were strong creative and chart contenders but mass success did not last.
Gilpin died in January 1992 after a car accident on the Gold Coast, and guitarist Kevin Stanton passed in May 2017 from long illness.
A few years before, Burns had survived a stroke.
Burns farewelled Martin: “Just three days ago, before he left, we laughed, reminisced, and simply enjoyed each other in solitude.
“Don was present until the very end, looking out from his beautiful home, at total peace in leaving this world.”