Throughout their 50-year career, the hard rock band AC/DC sold over 200 million albums worldwide with half being sold in the United States. That doesn’t even begin to describe the impact the band had on music and bands like Iron Maiden. While AC/DC went through some growing pains over the decades, thanks to musicians like Colin Burgess, the band continued to entertain and solidify themselves as legendary performers. Sadly, on Friday, news broke that original drummer, Burgess, passed away at the age of 77.

Those who have followed AC/DC over the years know Burgess for his meaningful stint with the group during their early days. From 1973 to 1974, the drummer traveled with the band and helped them with their first hit “Can I Sit Next To You Girl.” He even accompanied them during their first performance at the Chequers venue in Sydney, Australia.

Although on their way to fame, in 1974, Burgess found himself on the outside looking in after the band accused him of drinking during a set. While AC/DC stuck by their decision, the drummer insisted that he didn’t drink during the performance. Instead, he claimed that someone spiked his drink.

While the truth might never come out about what happened that night, firing Burgess led the group to go through a string of drummers including Phil Rudd.

AC/DC Remembers Colin Burgess
Releasing a statement on their Facebook page, AC/DC posted a picture of Burgess, captioning the post with, “Very sad to hear of the passing of Colin Burgess. He was our first drummer and a very respected musician. Happy memories, rock in peace Colin.”

Fans of both Burgess and AC/DC filled the comment section with love and support. With the drummer a native of Australia, one person wrote, “Very sad news, as I love rock music especially from Australia, and he was a part of a generation of great musicians that kicked off the music industry in Australia, condolences to his family and friends.”

Alongside AC/DC, Burgess also performed with the rock band The Masters Apprentices during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1988, the drummer and members of the band received an invitation to Australia’s ARIA Hall of Fame.