Late Australian of the Year and applauded cancer researcher Richard Scolyer will be honoured in a state funeral.
Professor Scolyer’s wife, Dr Katie Nicholl, confirmed he would be given a state memorial at the Sydney Opera House in a post online on Sunday.
‘We are honoured to share that the State Memorial Service for Richard will be held at the Sydney Opera House at 11am on Monday 13 July,’ Ms Nicholl wrote.
‘Public tickets can be booked from tomorrow via the Opera House website. Kind regards, Katie.’
Professor Scolyer died earlier this month at the of age 59 following a long battle with brain cancer, which he was diagnosed with in May 2023.
He helped save thousands of people’s lives during his career through groundbreaking skin cancer research.
Professor Scolyer was named co-Australian of the Year in 2024 alongside his colleague Professor Georgina Long.
They were applauded for turning cancer from a death sentence to largely curable through treatment that activates a patient’s own immune system, bringing hope and healing to many.
Dr Katie Nicholl (right) on Sunday confirmed her late husband, Professor Richard Scolyer (left), will be honoured in a state funeral
The funeral, at Sydney Opera House (above), will be open to hundreds of Australians
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese previously confirmed Professor Scolyer would receive a state funeral in recognition of his work.
‘As the joint 2024 Australian of the Year, Professor Scolyer took his place in the national spotlight with determination and purpose as he very publicly dealt with his glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer,’ Albanese wrote.
‘Every day, this remarkable man – the cancer specialist who became his own subject – took us into his confidence, and he lifted us all in the process.
‘He showed us what it means to hope and to keep searching for solutions. He showed us how to stand firm against fear and stay true to yourself.
‘Now Richard’s journey is done, yet his legacy will always be with us.’
In a letter shared posthumously, Professor Scolyer said he wished to be ‘remembered as a proud everyday Aussie’ who always ‘gave it a crack’.
‘I haven’t sugar-coated my journey and I sincerely thank you for allowing me the space and opportunity to share it with you, warts and all,’ he wrote.
‘I hope I have in some small way made the road ahead easier and smoother for others.
It was confirmed earlier this month that Professor Scolyer (above) had died while in palliative care in Sydney
Professor Scolyer (above) hoped to be remembered as a ‘proud everyday Aussie’ who always ‘gave it a crack’
‘If my legacy was to continue beyond these words, I would be delighted and humbled to be remembered as a proud everyday Aussie who gave it a crack and, in doing so, inspired others to pursue their dreams and passions with humility, love and compassion.
‘With much love and gratitude, Richard.’
Professor Scolyer died while in palliative care in Concord, west Sydney.
Just months earlier in September 2025, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled a $5.9million commitment to establish the Richard Scolyer Chair in Brain Cancer Research at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Sydney.
The prime minister celebrated Professor Scolyer and Prof Long as representatives of ‘the very best of this country’.
Humble, Professor Scolyer said he never aimed to be honoured in name and had just wanted to make a difference.
Professor Scolyer was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to medicine, particularly in the field of melanoma and skin cancer, in 2021.
He was also a World Health Organisation expert member and received multiple awards from medical, research and pathology organisations worldwide.
He also represented Australia as an age-group triathlete, and his book Brainstorm, written with Garry Maddox, won Social Impact Book of the Year at the 2025 Australian Book Industry Awards.
