Who was Kimble Rendall? Australian music video director and Hoodoo Gurus co-founder passes away at 71

Kimble Rendall, a founding member of the Australian rock band Hoodoo Gurus, recently died. The band announced on Facebook that their founding guitarist, Rendall, died on Saturday, April 19, at the age of 71. The post, which was uploaded on April 21 and featured two rainbows in the sky, read:

“I just saw this double rainbow on my way home from my walk a little while ago and I took it as a symbol of the two losses we have had in the Gurus family this past week. We're still reeling from the shock but their light still shines.”

Kimble Rendall was a well-known Australian filmmaker, musician, and author. He was also the second unit director of The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), I, Robot (2004), Casanova (2005), and Ghost Rider (2007). Kimble Rendall was a guitarist, singer, and co-founder of the rock group the Hoodoo Gurus and the punk rock group XL Capris.

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More about Kimble Rendall as the filmmaker and the singer amidst his death

Hoodoo Gurus' breakthrough single, Leilani, included the Sydney-born musician, who served as the original guitarist from 1981 to 1982. However, he quit the band just as it was becoming well-known to pursue a career as a filmmaker. He went on to produce films including Cut (2000), a horror movie starring Kylie Minogue and Molly Ringwald.

Kimble also directed films like Ghost Writer, I, Robot, Casanova, The Matrix Revolutions, and The Matrix Reloaded. Additionally, The Angels, Cold Chisel, Boom Crash Opera, Rockmelons, Mental As Anything, Peter Blakely, Hoodoo Gurus, and XL Capris were among the artists he directed music videos.

Tim Gooding, Johanna Pigott, and Kimble established XL Capris in Sydney in 1978. A punk rendition of Tommy Leonetti's crooner song My City of Sydney served as their debut single.

While still in school, Rendall wrote and directed short films. He later earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Mass Media and received film editing training from the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC).

The 1978 documentary My Survival as an Aboriginal, written and directed by Essie Coffey and centred on her life in the Brewarrina settlement, was produced and edited by Rendall. After a chance meeting with fellow guitarists Dave Faulkner and Roddy Radalj on New Year's Eve, drummer James Baker founded the Hoodoo Gurus in January 1981.

While the band worked on the songs for their debut album, Stoneage Romeos, Rendall also served as their manager. During Gary Glitter's nationwide tour, the band provided backup. When The Clash was searching for a support act in Sydney, Rendall met Joe Strummer at The Sebel Townhouse.

After Rendall left, the band changed their name from Le to Hoodoo Gurus and went on to have a #3 Australian hit with What's My Scene? (1987). Hoodoo Gurus' 2007 ARIA Hall of Fame induction recognised their legendary reputation on the Australian music scene.

Before starting Flat Rock Pictures in 1994, Kimble spent the following 10 years working on music videos. Before branching out into film, the business first produced television advertising.

On the other hand, Melissa Hoyer, a friend and publicist of the deceased filmmaker, also posted an announcement of Kimble Rendall’s passing on Facebook on Sunday, April 20. The post read:

“One of the very, very good men – Kimble was married to the ‘first lady of music television’, the late Basia Bonkowski & carved out a huge reputation in music (he was in the XL Capris & the Hoodoo Gurus); a leading figure in the advertising world (what award didn’t he win?) and went onto became a mega successful film director,” Hoyer wrote.

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Meanwhile, as per The Mail's April 22 report, the news of Kimble Rendall's death came just days after the death of their former manager. On the other hand, no cause of death was mentioned for Kimble Rendall.