Australian rock star Ignatius Jones dies after a short illness
Australian rockstar Ignatius Jones has died aged 66 after a short illness.
The Jimmy and the Boys frontman died on Tuesday at his home in the Philippines. The star is survived by his husband, Novy Bereber, his mother, Margot Martin, his sisters Rocio and Monica and his brother Luis Miguel. His sister Monica announced the news of his death on Wednesday.
She said in a statement: “It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Ignatius Jones AM, after a short illness. He died peacefully at 9.30pm, Sydney time, last night (7 May) at Iloilo City, the Philippines. His friends and family will remember Iggy as a bon-vivant, a lively raconteur and a real Renaissance man, immensely and passionately knowledgeable in history and the arts.
“The arts community in Australia has lost a champion, and dinner parties will now be less interesting, with his passing.” His sister also listed all his achievements and bodies of work in her statement. She also wrote: “Iggy had immense creative energy, and spent over 50 years contributing to the arts, both in Australia and internationally. He was one of the world’s leading Event Directors, Devisors and Designers.”
Ignatius Jones
Jimmy and the Boys was a shock rock and new wave band active between 1976 and 1982. They had two studio albums, Not Like Everybody Else and Teddy Boys Picnic. They scored their only Australian top 10 single with their song They Won’t Let My Girlfriend Talk to Me in 1981. Ignatius, who was born in Manila in 1957, later joined the band Pardon Me Boys with his sister Monica.
He became an events director following his rock star days and worked on many big events such as the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics Games and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. Ignatius co-wrote and co-directed the stage musical, The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular in 2002 with dancer and choreographer David Atkins.
He was awarded the Filipino-Australian of the Year Award in 2014 by the Filipino Communities Council of Australia. Five years later, he was honoured with a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the country’s arts as an author, director, performer and writer.
In October 2018, Ignatius tied the knot with his long-time partner, Novy Bereber, a Filipino-Australian choreographer from Iloilo City. The couple retired to the Philippines in 2022.
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