Leukemia claims 'one of our most original voices'
In normal circumstances, singer-songwriter Jesse Younan's fourth album - A Good Day For a Migraine - could have been the one that transformed him from well-kept secret to an Australian star.
It was not to be. The 35-year-old musician was diagnosed with leukemia in February this year, just days after completing his album.
He died in Sydney's Westmead Hospital on Tuesday evening with his family by his side.
"He was definately one of the most original voices and I think he had the potential to become one of the most respected songwriters in the country." said Glenn Wright, owner of Younan's record label, Vitamin Records.
"He was a great guitarist and a great storyteller. It was all ahead of him."
The singer, who grew up in Parramatta, had been in hospital for acute myeloid leukemia since February.
His latest album, released in May, was his most critically acclaimed, with glowing reviews appearing in all of Australia's leading newspapers and magazines, including The Australian.
This newspaper's reviewer, Mahir Ali, said Younan's "skills as a vocalist and instrumentalist are undeniable".
One of those songs was used breifly in the last series of Big Brother while Younan was in hospital. "He really perked up when I told him that," said his manager, Matt Jessimer. "His spirit had been realy good in the past few weeks."
Younan has been playing guitar since the age of six and released his first CD, Palimpsest, in 2004. His combination of inventive, often romantic lyrics and deft guitar stylings had seen him compared with folk artists such as Bert Jansch, Richard Thompson and John Martyn.
"For an independent artist, it's through reviews and live work that you spread the word," Wright said. "From the day (his latest) album was released, he couldn't do a gig."
Younan is survived by his mother and father and his eight-year-old daughter, Ella, from a previous relationship.
Ian Shedden
Music Writer
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