Australian singer who performed with Johnny O’Keefe dead at 69

Beloved Australian singer Margaret McLaren died earlier this year aged 69.

The Melbourne-born singer was born in 1954 and rose to fame in the early 70s as a backup singer for the legendary Australian rock star Johnny O’Keefe.

She rose to national fame in 1973 when she performed a duet with O’Keefe called Mockingbird, which reached number eight on the Australian charts.

O’Keefe’s daughter Vicky announced the heartbreaking news of Margaret’s passing in an Instagram post: ‘Very sad to hear about Margaret’s passing. She was such a vibrant, powerful singer alongside Dad with his band.’

Vicky added McLaren was a key member of O’Keefe’s live band The Stuart Park Group and brought something special to her performances. 

‘Margaret was only 15 years old when she started singing with Dad and I remember loving seeing her performances with him. 

‘J.O.K and Margaret’s duet was absolutely fantastic, gaining all the airplay over rival version by Carly Simon & James Taylor, which was released at the same time.

‘Rest in peace. Our condolences to your family,’ Vicky added. 

Heartbroken fans were quick to go online and express their condolences.

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‘A beautiful lady, a wonderful friend & always an absolute joy to be around,’ one fan wrote.

‘She touched so many people’s lives with her larger than life personality, contagious smile, amazing voice, kindness, warmth and great sense of humour,’ a second person wrote.

McLaren became a popular touring musician in the 80s and played at countless pubs across Australia in her band Vocamotion.

Margaret is survived by her three children John, Jesse and Holly and seven grandchildren.