The much-loved musical performer/storyteller/Indigenous activist died on Saturday at 66yo. He came to national attention in 1990 with the song Took the Children Away – music icon Paul Kelly has talked about what it was like to see Roach perform in those days with audiences stunned into silence by his mastery. Roach was a member of the stolen generations – he was taken from his parents at 4yo and placed with a Scottish couple in Melbourne. He took off at 15yo and met his beloved wife Ruby Hunter in Adelaide, but alcoholism and homelessness dominated life for the next 15 years. It was the late 1980s when his music career got on track, and over the next 30 years, he gained global recognition. Roach had a lung removed after a cancer diagnosis a decade ago, but he continued to perform with an oxygen tube. His sons have permitted his name, image, and music to be used so that his legacy can continue to inspire.