Vale Simon Crean

Gallery Chair, former Arts Minister and Leader of the Opposition, Simon Crean is remembered as a Labor true believer and a passionate supporter of the arts.

27 Jun 2023 11:46

Richard Watts

All Arts

The late Simon Crean, Chair, McClelland. Photo: Steve Brown.

The sudden death of former Federal Arts Minister and Leader of the Opposition, Simon Crean, has shocked and saddened the arts sector.

Crean died in Berlin on Sunday (25 June) shortly after completing his morning’s exercise. He was 74.

‘The most loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather, he extended that same love and devotion to his many friends, community and to our nation,’ his family said in a statement.

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts