AC/DC co-founder Malcom Young dead at 64

Legendary AC/DC rock star Malcolm Young has died at the age of 64, the band said on its website on Saturday.

"With enormous dedication and commitment, he was the driving force behind the band," his brother Angus and fellow co-founder of AC/DC said on the website. "As a guitarist, songwriter and visionary, he was a perfectionist and a unique man."

The Australian rock band was formed in 1973 and by the end of the decade had burst out into the international music scene by making its mark in the United States

For nearly four decades, AC/DC topped the charts with hard-hitting albums such as Highway to Hell and For Those About to Rock We Salute You.

AC/DC albums have sold more than 200 million copies, making them one of the world's top-selling artists.

Iconic status

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Music magazine Rolling Stone listed AC/DC as one of the top 100 greatest artists.

"AC/DC's rowdy image, giant riffs and macho lyrics about sex, drinking and damnation have helped make them one of the top hard-rock bands in history," Rolling Stone wrote in a biography of the group.

Unlike many rock bands from the 1970s, AC/DC continued to tour and produce records despite the loss of several members, including the death of former singer Bon Scott in 1980.

AC/DC's last album Rock or Bust was released in 2014, and the band went on tour in 2015-16.

Malcolm Young retired from the band in 2014, shortly after it was announced he was receiving treatment for dementia.