Malcolm Young, a co-founder of AC/DC, dies at 64

NEW YORK - Malcolm Young, the AC/DC co-founder whose brash guitar riffs, tight songwriting and live-wire personality defined an era of rock ’n’ roll, has died. He was 64.

AC/DC announced his death on its Facebook page Saturday. The time, location and cause of his death were not made public. Young had been diagnosed with dementia in 2014 and did not perform with the group on its recent comeback tour.

“Renowned for his musical prowess, Malcolm was a songwriter, guitarist, performer, producer and visionary who inspired many,” the band said. “From the outset, he knew what he wanted to achieve and, along with his younger brother, took to the world stage giving their all at every show. Nothing less would do for their fans.”

Over 40 years, AC/DC would sell more than 200 million albums of riff-driven, sometimes juvenile but always anthemic rock, including 1980’s “Back in Black,” the second-best-selling rock album of all time.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1953, Young moved with his family to Sydney, Australia, in 1963, and formed AC/DC with his brother, Angus, in 1973. Though Angus, with his schoolboy costumes and flamboyant lead guitar work, was the de facto frontman, Young was its musical core and primary writer for most of the group’s hits. His exacting, blues-driven guitar work was the foundation for AC/DC’s sound, and Young was widely considered one of rock’s greatest rhythm guitarists. “Malcolm Young was one of the best ever rhythm guitarists in rock ’n’ roll,” said Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash in Rolling Stone. “He was a fantastic songwriter and he had a great work ethic, too.”

“It is a sad day in rock and roll,” Eddie Van Halen said in a Twitter post. The group scored significant hits early on with singer Bon Scott. The act debuted in 1975 with “High Voltage,” followed by a string of popular records including “T.N.T.”The act’s 1979 LP “Highway to Hell” cracked the Billboard top 25 and went gold in America. But its future was thrown into doubt after Scott died in 1980 after an all-night drinking session.

The band soon recovered, bringing on new singer Brian Johnson. AC/DC quickly wrote the defining LP of its career, “Back in Black.”

“Part of AC/DC’s appeal to its predominantly young, male audience is the band’s flashy, high-energy show and the hell-raising bravado of its lyrics,” the Los Angeles Times’ Robert Hilburn wrote in a 1982 profile of the band.

In 2003, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.