Durham released a number of solo albums, but was best known as the voice of the folk band The Seekers, with whom she played from 1963 until 1968, when she left to pursue a solo career. The band quickly became a global success and sold more than 50 million records, with a string of international hits including I’ll Never Find Another You, The Carnival is Over, A World of Our Own and Georgy Girl. Durham died in palliative care on Friday night after a short stay at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Universal Music Australia and Musicoast said in a statement. Her death was the result of complications from long-term chronic lung disease, according to the release. Seekers management team member Graham Simpson said: “This is a sad day for Judith’s family, her Seekers colleagues, Musicoast staff, the music industry and fans worldwide and all of us who are a part of of Judith for so long. “ Her co-stars in The Seekers – Keith Potger, Bruce Woodley and Athol Guy – said their lives had been changed forever by losing “our precious friend and shining star”. “Her struggle was intense and heroic, she never complained about her fate and fully accepted her fate. Her wonderful musical legacy Keith, Bruce and I are so blessed to share,” they said. Tributes for the much-loved singer, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailing Durham as a “national treasure and Australian icon”. “Judith Durham gave voice to a new strand of our identity and helped blaze a trail for a new generation of Australian artists,” he said on Twitter. “Her kindness will be missed by many, the anthems she gave our nation will never be forgotten.” Opposition Leader Peter Dutton paid tribute to Durham as someone who “gave voice to more than one generation of Australians with words of universal resonance, carried by melodies that, once heard, were etched in our memory forever”. “Durham has shown in song after song, concert after concert, how the human voice can reach and move each of us,” Dutton said in a statement. “Her language was uniquely Australian and her voice a gift of universal beauty.” Arts Minister Tony Burke called Durham “an icon of our music”. “Once upon a time, the best-known Australian voice was Judith Durham’s,” he wrote. “What a contribution. What a loss.” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the Essendon-born musician “continued to take the music world by storm both here in Australia and overseas”. “With her unique voice and stage presence fronting The Seekers, the band became one of Australia’s biggest chart toppers.” Durham received a number of honors during her career, including the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to music in 1995, particularly as an entertainer and composer, and the Centenary Medal in 2003. She was also named Victorian of the Year in 2015. Sign up to receive Guardian Australia’s weekend culture and lifestyle email Born in Melbourne, Durham recorded her first EP aged 19 and rose to international fame after joining The Seekers. They broke up in 1968, a year after they were joint recipients of the Australian of the Year award, but reunited in the 1990s. In 1969, Durham married British pianist and musical director Ron Edgeworth before a brief stint in the UK and Switzerland. The pair survived a car crash with their tour manager in 1990 in which Durham suffered injuries, including a broken wrist and leg. The huge outpouring from fans encouraged Durham to reunite with other members of The Seekers for a Silver Jubilee Show, at which point Edgeworth was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. He died four years later. In 2013, Durham suffered a stroke that affected her ability to read and write but not her singing. Her last album, an unreleased collection of songs titled So Much More, was released in 2018 to celebrate her 75th birthday. – With the Australian Associated Press