Who was the first Australian singer to top the US 'Billboard' charts?

Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 1941 – 29 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist.

During the 1970s, Reddy enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed 15 singles on the top 40 of the "Billboard" Hot 100. Six made the top 10 and three reached number one, including her signature hit "I Am Woman". The success of "I Am Woman" made Reddy the first Australian singer to top the US charts in December 1972.

She placed 25 songs on the "Billboard" Adult Contemporary chart; 15 made the top 10 and eight reached number one, six consecutively. In 1974, at the inaugural American Music Awards, she won the award for "Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist". On television, she was the first Australian to host a one-hour weekly primetime variety show on an American network, along with specials that were seen in more than 40 countries.

Between the 1980s and 1990s, as her single "I Can't Say Goodbye to You" (1981) became her last to chart in the US, Reddy acted in musicals and recorded albums such as "Center Stage" before retiring from live performance in 2002. She returned to university in Australia, earned a degree, and practised as a clinical hypnotherapist and motivational speaker.

Reddy died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles on 29 September 2020, at the age of 78. She suffered from Addison's disease and dementia in her later years.