Chrissy Amphlett
The fierce, school-uniform-clad frontwoman of Divinyls who turned a song about obsession into a global anthem of unapologetic female desire.
1959–2013 (age 54)·Australian singer and actress·Birthday: October 25·Baby Boomers
Biography
Chrissy Amphlett emerged from the Australian pub rock scene with a confrontational energy that was entirely her own. As the lead singer of Divinyls, she was a whirlwind on stage—wielding a microphone stand like a weapon, wearing a torn school dress, and delivering vocals that swung from a snarl to a vulnerable cry. The band's gritty sound and Amphlett's raw persona found success in Australia with hits like 'Boys in Town' and 'Pleasure and Pain.' International fame arrived explosively with 'I Touch Myself,' a song whose frank sexuality was both controversial and liberating. Amphlett's career was a battle against the music industry's expectations for women, and her personal life included struggles with illness and depression. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and later breast cancer, facing both with a characteristic bluntness that she channeled into advocacy before her death in 2013.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Chrissy was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Chrissy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Chrissy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2013Died at 54
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Led Divinyls to international fame with the provocative and chart-topping single 'I Touch Myself' in 1991.
- Inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006 as a member of Divinyls.
- Starred in the Australian stage production of 'The Boy from Oz,' playing Judy Garland to critical acclaim.
- Co-wrote many of Divinyls' signature songs, including 'Science Fiction' and 'I'm Jealous.'
Did You Know?
She was the cousin of 1950s Australian pop star Little Pattie.
Her signature stage outfit—a torn school uniform—was inspired by her own rebellious school days.
She performed at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998 and became a vocal advocate for MS research.
“I never set out to be a sex symbol or a role model. I just set out to be myself.”
