Needs no introduction!Eva GaborNancy WilsonBob DylanJFKCandidate Kennedy?I believe this is a JFK motorcade - can anyone confirm?They've lined up to see someone famous!(?)
Read all about Johnny O'Keefe's - famed Aussie Rocker - fateful accident here.
Cherry-picking and combining texts about the incident:
On June 27th. 1960, in the early hours of the morning, Johnny O’Keefe was returning to Sydney from a tour of Queensland, when he fell asleep at the wheel of his new cherry-red Plymouth Belvedere, crossed over the centre line and side-swiped a gravel truck at Clybucca, north of Kempsey (NSW).jok 48O’Keefe was thrown out of the vehicle on impact and his fellow passengers, saxophonist John Greenan, who was also thrown from the car, and his wife Jan, were badly injured, Greenan had a broken neck and was admitted to Macleay Hospital, Jan was found wedged under the dashboard at the scene of the accident with severe concussion.
JO’K was also rushed to Macleay Hospital and then airlifted to Sydney where he required 90 stitches to his face and body as well as the replacement of teeth and reconstructive surgery on his gums and mouth; incredibly he was fronting Six O’Clock Rock 6 weeks later, it would be six months before John Greenan would recover and be able to resume performing.
Johnny asked his wife Marianne to retrieve a bag of marijuana that Lee Gordon had sent to him and was still inside the boot of his car, now sitting in the local police lock-up (above), which she refused to do, but Lonnie Lee (above), who was about 30 minutes behind O’Keefe in another car, arrived at the scene of the accident before the police and scooped up a bag of marijuana that had also been secreted in one of the hubcaps.
In 1961 he hosted the 'Johnny O'Keefe Show' on ATN-7.. In August 1962 he suffered a further breakdown and spent two months in a psychiatric ward at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney. He returned to his television show—renamed 'Sing, Sing, Sing' during his absence—in February 1963, but it ceased production in 1965. Exceptionally energetic and often charming, O'Keefe was subject to dramatic changes of mood and had a tendency to overreact.
In November 1964 he was back in hospital, his 'holiday camp' as he jokingly called it. After taking pills at his Double Bay home, O'Keefe died of barbiturate poisoning on 6 October 1978 at St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, and was buried with Catholic rites in Northern Suburbs cemetery.
His wife survived him, as did the daughter and two sons of his first marriage. The Australian Variety Artists Association named an award after him. In 1988 his name was included in the Australian Record Industry Association's hall of fame.
