He suffered a cardiac arrest in August while on tour, was taken to a German hospital during Rose Tattoo's 50th‑anniversary European leg, and the band cancelled the August 9 concert and the rest of the tour.

For five decades Anderson was not only Rose Tattoo's frontman but also a television presenter, charity worker and youth advocate. Rose Tattoo's best‑known songs include "Bad Boy for Love", "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw" and "We Can't Be Beaten", while his solo single "Suddenly" found chart success in Australia, the UK, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006, and Anderson was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1993 for his youth‑advocacy work.

His long career linked hard‑rock music to mainstream television and showed how a musician could use fame to support charities and public debate, illustrating the broader cultural role an artist can play in Australia.