Helen Reddy was 'desperate' to come back to Australia before her death last year in Los Angeles, say friends By Jesse Hyland For Daily Mail Australia Published: 00:06 BST, 19 October 2021 | Updated: 00:14 BST, 19 October 2021 Viewcomments Singer Helen Reddy reportedly wanted to return to her home country of Australia before her death last year. Reddy died in Los Angeles, California, last September at the age of 78, after a five-year battle with dementia. According to her closest friends and family, the I Am Woman star 'missed Australia' and was 'desperate' to come back home. Homesick: Singer Helen Reddy reportedly wanted to return to her home country of Australia before her death in Los Angeles last year. Pictured in January 2015 'In her last few years, Helen would tell me during our regular phone chats that she wanted to come home,' Australian actor Barry Crocker told New Idea. 'She missed Australia, her friends, and she really wanted to be with her cherished sister, entertainer Toni Lamond,' he added. Crocker said it wasn't possible for Reddy to return, however, because of her declining health. 'She missed Australia': According to her closest friends and family, the I Am Woman star 'missed Australia' and was 'desperate' to come back home. Pictured in January 2019 'Sadly, because of her health, that final trip home wasn't possible,' he said. 'Fortunately, she had the love of her daughter Traci and her granddaughter Lily, who lived not far away in Malibu.' Crocker and Reddy had been friends for 60 years after meeting at a Melbourne nightclub, where the songstress introduced herself after seeing Crocker on TV. Reddy's half-sister, Toni Lamond, described the late star as a 'showbiz trailblazer'. 'When our parents went on the road with their act, I'd look after her, and continued to until she hit the big time,' the Logie-winning cabaret performer, 89, recalled. Showbiz trailblazer: Reddy's half-sister, Logie-winning cabaret performer Toni Lamond, told New Idea she would look after her sister until she 'hit the big time'. Pictured: Reddy in 1970 Reddy died in LA on September 29, 2020, at the age of 78, five years after she was diagnosed with dementia. Since her diagnosis in 2015, she had been living in a nursing home for retired Hollywood talent. A biopic titled I Am Woman was released that same year, which focused on the Melbourne-born star's early career. Death: Reddy died in LA on September 29, 2020, at the age of 78, five years after she was diagnosed with dementia. She had been living in a nursing home for retired Hollywood talent Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility