Molly Meldrum statue back where it belongs following ‘disrespectful’ act of vandalism

In late 2023, a shocking act of vandalism left fans devastated when the statue of beloved Australian music icon Molly Meldrum was found defaced.

The statue, located in Melbourne, had been erected as a tribute to the influential music journalist and TV presenter. For many, it was a symbol of the mark he made on Australia’s music industry. So, when the statue was vandalised, the incident hit hard for those who hold Meldrum in high regard.

The brazen act reportedly also left Meldrum feeling quite distressed.

“What a shame and how disappointing and disrespectful to a music legend,” Meldrum’s manager Mark Klemens told the Herald Sun at the time.

Now, Yarra City Council Mayor Stephen Jolly has delivered some good news in the troubling saga, announcing that the statue has been reinstated at Wangaratta Street Park in Richmond.

“As a promoter and advocate of Australia’s live music industry – Molly is an icon of Australian music – and it’s only fitting that his statue be located near the Corner Hotel, where lots of Australian musicians got their start,” Jolly said.

“We’re thrilled that Molly, complete with his trademark Stetson hat and his beloved dog Ziggy, are back in Richmond, where they belong.”

The good news will hopefully lift the spirits of Meldrum who is said to be facing tough times.

Once the face of Australia’s music scene, the 82-year-old icon is now said to be “struggling”, according to his friend and former Countdown announcer Gavin Wood.

Wood offered the concerning update about Meldrum’s well-being on Wednesday, October 2, 2023, during a Royal Australian Mint event that launched a commemorative coin honouring the iconic Aussie music program.

“He’s struggling,” Wood told the Herald Sun, referencing a fall Meldrum suffered in 2011.

At the time of the fall, Meldrum was found unconscious in the backyard of his Richmond home before he was placed in intensive care at the Alfred Hospital and received surgery for head injuries. In addition to his head injuries, he suffered a broken shoulder, broken ribs, a punctured lung, and cracked vertebrae and was in a coma for five weeks.

“The fall, it is all down to the fall, was a horrible thing to have happened,” Wood added.

“He has been a public figure all his life and I think he is just enjoying a quieter life.

“He is still Molly, still interested in music and still has it turned up to 11. He is still naughty, he has still got that spark that we love, but I think he is enjoying life being a normal person.”