Little more than a year before Malcolm Young's death, the guitarist was honored at a fundraising
gig at Los Angeles' iconic Whisky A Go Go.
According to Louder, the event was billed as an "Ultimate Jam Night," and while it didn't
technically feature any of AC/DC's current members at the time, former drummer Simon
Wright was among the many musicians who were scheduled to perform.
The show's objective was to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association.
At that point, it had been two years since Malcolm retired from touring due to his dementia.
However, as Angus Young recalled in 2014, the rhythm guitarist had started showing signs
of cognitive decline as far back as 2008, when they were working on their "Black Ice" album.
That didn't stop him from pushing forward with the release and touring behind it.
Angus told The Guardian:
"His symptoms of dementia were starting then, and he got through it.
I had said to him, even before we did the album: 'Are you sure you want to do this?
I have to know that you really want to do it.'
He was the one who said: 'Yes!
We've really got to do it.'"
It wasn't just Malcolm Young whose future with AC/DC was in question during the final
months of 2016.
Although Stevie Young was a competent replacement for his uncle as AC/DC's touring rhythm guitarist,
Malcolm's retirement was quickly followed by the news that longtime drummer Phil Rudd
was facing various criminal charges, including drug possession and attempting to hire a hitman.
He was replaced by the band's early-'90s drummer, Chris Slade.
Then, vocalist Brian Johnson was advised by doctors that he had to quit touring or risk
the possibility of permanent hearing loss; Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose took his place
for the remainder of the "Rock Or Bust" tour.
Finally, at the end of the tour, bassist Cliff Williams announced his plans to retire from music.
As Malcolm quietly battled dementia and brother Angus Young faced the possibility of being
AC/DC's last founding member still active, Rudd commented on the issue, saying on the
"Rich Davenport Rock Show" that it wouldn't be a, quote, "good idea" for Angus to discontinue the band.
He said:
"Angus has never played better [than he did] on the 'Rock Or Bust' album.
He's playing [...] great.
What's he gonna give it up for?
That's like [...] Napoleon not finding somewhere else to [...] conquer."
Updates on Malcolm Young's health were few and far between during the last 12 months
of his life, but AC/DC fans remained as dedicated as ever as they supported the band's co-founder
during the first few months of 2017.
According to NME, a group of Swedish fans launched an event called "Acdcmachine Gathering
2017" in an effort to raise funds for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
This caught the attention of Brian Johnson, who was on hiatus from touring due to his own health issues.
He said in a statement:
"I just want to say, I'm so proud of what you're doing for the Alzheimer's dementia research.
As you know we have a wounded soldier, Malcolm, and I think what you're doing to raise the
awareness of everyone about this dreadful disease is just absolutely fabulous."
Johnson went on to stress that Malcolm Young would, quote, "be so proud" of his band's fans.
He concluded his statement by thanking them for launching such an initiative and letting
them know that he's proud of them for raising awareness about Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
On October 23, 2017, Angus and Malcolm Young's older brother, George Young, died at the age 70.
As recalled by Variety, George played an important role for AC/DC in their early years, co-producing
the band's first five albums with longtime friend Harry Vanda.
However, he also had a pretty distinguished career of his own as a musician.
He and Vanda played for the Easybeats in the 1960s, and while they never reached superstardom
outside of their native Australia, they did record an all-time classic called "Friday
On My Mind," which reached No. 16 on the Billboard singles charts in 1967.
Neither Malcolm nor Angus Young issued any individual statements following their brother's
death, but AC/DC, as a band, took to Twitter to credit George Young for his contributions, writing:
"Without his help and guidance there would not have been an AC/DC."
In addition to the group's early releases, George also produced their 2000 album "Stiff
Upper Lip," temporarily coming out of retirement to help his brothers' band one last time.
Tragic as George's death was for the Young family, it would be followed less than a month
later by Malcolm's death, which came after years of various health problems.
Per Ultimate Classic Rock, Malcolm also dealt with heart problems and lung cancer in the
years before his dementia diagnosis.
Malcolm Young's death on November 18, 2017, was a sad day for music fans around the world,
as well as the many musicians who played alongside AC/DC or were influenced by the band's back-to-basics
brand of hard rock.
Angus Young was emotional as he looked back on his brother's final days, telling "60 Minutes
Australia" in 2020 that the hardest part wasn't saying goodbye to Malcolm, but rather watching
how dementia took its toll on him during the last years of his life.
"I think the worst part is the decline."
Despite his illness, Malcolm did his best to remain positive and always had a, quote,
"big smile" on his face whenever Angus was around.
Angus said:
"And I think that was probably [...] for me, that always gave me a kind of joy, even though
he was in that state.
That was always the joy of it."
Angus also recalled that Malcolm always enjoyed it whenever he'd drop by and play some riffs
on the guitar for him; this underscored the importance of the two brothers spending time
with each other during Malcolm's final years.
Angus said:
"He would try to tap his foot.
But he always knew I was there [...] I was with him toward the end."
Meanwhile, frontman Brian Johnson remarked that it was, quote, "obvious" how Malcolm's
spirit was with them during his funeral, as that was the event that helped convince AC/DC
to get back together for what would become their 2020 album, "Power Up."
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