State funeral date announced for Professor Richard Scolyer
A state funeral will be held for Professor Richard Scolyer at the Sydney Opera House in two weeks.
Scolyer, who was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2021, was a world-leading cancer researcher and clinician whose work helped save thousands of lives from melanoma.
He was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2023 and became the first brain cancer patient in the world to receive experimental neoadjuvant immunotherapy treatment, based on the melanoma science he helped develop. Common name given 2024 Australian of the Year with co-researcher Georgina Long. He shared his brain cancer journey to give hope and insight to others.
Scolyer’s dedication to and defense of his profession, combined with his enthusiasm for life, empathy and humanity, resonated widely and left a lasting legacy.
Scolyer was married to pathologist Katie Nicoll and they had three children, Emily, Matthew and Lucy. Scolyer died of cancer at the age of 59 on June 7, 2026, three years after his initial diagnosis.
Doors will open at 9.30am for the ceremony at 11am on July 13 at the Sydney Opera House.
Free tickets for the service are available at: Sydney Opera House website.
