Statue Of AC/DC Singer BON SCOTT Given The Go-Ahead

According to BBC News, plans for a statue of late AC/DC singer Bon Scott in his hometown of Kirriemuir, Scotland have been approved by local councilors.

The proposed statue, which will stand in Bellies Brae car park, is due to be unveiled at the annual Bonfest event in April. It will measure approximately 2.4 meters high from the base to the tip of the raised hand and will be attached to a cast bronze base measuring, 900mm diameter x 75mm high. The proposed railing would be 1.1m high ended with a 500mm x 500mm x 1.3m pillar.

The council received over 80 letters of support for the new statue, four months after AC/DC fans succeeded in raising the equivalent of $69,000 needed to complete the funding for its installation. A local organization called DD8 Music in Kirriemuir spearheaded the effort, working for several years to raise the money and finish the job.

DD8 Music said in a statement: "Kirriemuir already has a few things honoring Bon — a street named after him, a memorial plaque, an AC/DC section in the local museum, and our annual Bonfest. However, we believe Bon's memory deserves a lasting memorial. Renowned sculptor John McKenna will capture three things — his personality, his stage presence, and his Scottish roots."

Individual members of the group past and present have offered their support previously, with former bassist Mark Evans saying in 2012, "It's so amazing that Bon is getting honored like this, especially since Scotland is such an important place in the history of AC/DC. Bon already had a street named after him in Kirriemuir and now this!"

The statue would be the second of Scott, who was born in Kirriemuir in 1946 but moved with his family to Australia in 1952. An Australian statue honoring Scott has already been on display since February 2008.

The singer died in 1980 at the age of 33 from alcohol poisoning. He sang on AC/DC's first six studio albums, including "High Voltage", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Let There Be Rock" and "Highway To Hell".

AC/DC guitarist Angus Young told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the band almost didn't get past Scott's death. "Bon was the big… He was a full-on frontman, plus he had this great character, you know. I mean, he just lived that rock 'n' roll life. With Bon, what you saw was what you got, and, yeah, it was pretty, pretty tough."