It's a long way from Nulla Creek, New South Wales to be walking out with your guitar singing Waltzing Matilda at the Sydney Olympic closing ceremony. But that's the trip Slim Dusty, the son of a cattle farmer, made in his 76 years.
Referred to as a "typical Aussie", the Australian country music singer has been celebrated by Google's doodle.
Here are a few fast facts about the Australian country music icon.
An Aussie icon
The country music singer's appeal was to the battlers and his talent was for storytelling in music.
Slim Dusty was known for having a vast repertoire of Aussie "bush ballads", including G'Day G'day, Duncan and A Pub With No Beer, which was his biggest selling record.
Waltzing Matilda from space
The boy from Nulla Creek near Kempsey was the first singer to have his voice sent to Earth from space.
In 1983, astronauts in the spaceship Columbia beamed his voice singing "Waltzing Matilda" to Earth as they passed over Australia.
Slim also performed the iconic song at the Sydney Olympic Games closing ceremony in 2000.
You can leave your hat on
Dusty was known for his iconic hats, which were always turned down at the front.
He made sure to wear one when meeting Queen Elizabeth II in Brisbane in 1992.
"He was granted permission to keep his hat on, as acknowledgement of how much the hat was a part of Slim Dusty," the Slim Dusty Centre said in a Facebook post.
Where was Slim Dusty from?
Born in the northern New South Wales coastal town of Kempsey, he grew up on a dairy farm in Nulla Nulla Creek.
What is Slim Dusty's real name?
Gordon Kirkpatrick.
At age 10 he wrote his very first song, The Way the Cowboy Dies.
At age 11 he changed his name to Slim Dusty.
What did Slim Dusty die of?
The country music singer died from cancer age 76 on September 19, 2003.
His wife Joy, son David and daughter Anne were at his bedside when her passed away at his Sydney home.
A state funeral was held to celebrate his life, attended by Australian leaders at the time, prime minister John Howard, opposition leader Simon Crean and Queensland premier Peter Beattie.
Country stars Troy Cassar-Daley and Kasey Chambers performed.
Entrepreneur Dick Smith told the congregation Slim had been a "typical Aussie".
Voted a national treasure
Slim Dusty won multiple gold and platinum record awards and 38 Golden Guitars at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
He was also voted by the Australian public as an Australian National Treasure. The son of a cattle farmer, he was one of the first inductees into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame.
The Royal Australian Mint issued a coin celebrating his life, and the Slim Dusty Centre and Museum in Kempsey opened in 2015.
At the time of his death, he was recording his 106th album.
Slim Dusty's daughter shares her thoughts on her father
Slim Dusty's family collaborated with Google on the project.
Here's what his daughter, Anne Kirkpatrick, shared on her father's legacy the day Google released its doodle.
"The magic of his raw talent as a singer and performer had to be seen and heard to be believed and I still believe he has one of the most recognisable voices in Australia," she said.
"It's a long way from Nulla Creek to be walking out with your guitar and singing Waltzing Matilda at the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics. The list of awards and accolades is astonishing enough, however, perhaps more importantly, I saw how Slim Dusty and his music became woven into the fabric of people's lives. His music lives on.
"Slim Dusty was my dad, and while I shared much of him with Australia and thousands around the world, we wouldn't have had it any other way.
'All my dreams are basically fulfilled'
His daughter said he treasured a tattered book of Henry Lawson poems that he referred to as his Bible of the Bush.
"A precious birthday gift from my mother," Anne said it was gifted during their first year of marriage.
"In later years he wrote in the front cover 'All my dreams and ambitions are basically fulfilled'.
"That was the dream of an 11-year-old kid to become Slim Dusty, a kid of immense raw talent and drive who met a kindred spirit in my mother. Together they made his dream come true. Our family is immensely proud of what he achieved."
