Hard-rocking but ill-starred AC/DC singer Bon Scott will be immortalised with a bronze statue in his Tayside home town next year.
Organisers of the £45,000 crowdfunding bid towards a statue of Scott in Kirriemuir “smashed” their target at the weekend.
Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott sang for the rock band from 1974 until his death in 1980, aged 33, and Kirriemuir now hosts Bonfest in his honour every year, drawing thousands of visitors from across the world.
The statue will be in place before the 10th annual event next April, when it will be officially unveiled.
Members of DD8 Music, a group that works to promote the town’s musical talent, have worked hard to drive the idea from concept to possibility.
With 17 days of the fundraiser remaining, organiser Graham Galloway said any money donated beyond the target will go towards a memorial garden surrounding the statue.
He said: “The crowdfunding campaign for the Bon Scott statue has smashed through its £45,000 target.
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“Next year will be the 10th anniversary of Bonfest so it is a huge year for us, but this will be the icing on the cake.
“Kirriemuir has embraced its connection to Bon Scott, but people from 22 countries around the world have made donations to our statue campaign.
“People come from all over the world to celebrate Bonfest, but the statue will attract fans to Kirriemuir all year round.”
It has been a “long way to the top” for supporters of the statue, after a survey last year found only one respondent favoured placing the statue in the town square, despite general support for the idea of a tribute.
In response, the statue location was moved to the car park in Bellies Brae.
Sculptor John McKenna made a clay mould of the celebrated rock frontman, who lived in Kirrie until his family moved to Australia in 1952.
Mr McKenna’s previous works include the Jock Stein memorial outside Celtic Park, one of Jimmy Johnstone in his home town of Viewpark, and a statue of a miner in Moodiesburn that was unveiled by Alex Salmond.
He said: “It is a great honour as this man was an icon from my teenage years.”
Scott was previously honoured by a commemorative stone slab in the town’s Cumberland Close, and his name is also reflected in Bon Scott Place.
The Scott fundraiser is one of six Crowdfunder causes “championed” by Angus Council.
Visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/campaign/crowdfund-angus for more information.