BLOOMINGTON — Legendary musician John Mellencamp brought the sound of Indiana mainstream with hits like "Hurts So Good" and "Jack and Diane." Indiana University will honor his legacy this month with a permanent tribute near the IU Auditorium.
The university announced it will dedicate a statue to Mellencamp on Oct. 18. The musician, who was born and raised 50 miles away in Seymour, is expected to attend the dedication ceremony.
Mellencamp's statue will be located near the Hoagy Carmichael statue on the north side of the IU Auditorium. Sculptor Michael McAuley, a Bloomington native with two degrees from Indiana University, designed both sculptures.
"If nothing else, it's high respect to this person that is just brilliant and tenacious," McAuley said. "I was going to IU when I heard his first music come out. I heard he was from Seymour and thought, 'This guy's pretty good.'"
McAuley said he put the same amount of passion into Mellencamp's statue as he did for Carmichael's monument.
"I love Hoagy's music," McAuley said. "He was born and raised in Bloomington, I was too. He went to IU and I did, too. It's got to be monumental, it's got to catch your eye and be significant on campus."
Mellencamp, unlike Carmichael, did not attend Indiana University.
While Bloomington waits for Mellencamp's sculpture to be unveiled, his paintings are on display at the Eskenazi Museum of Art on Indiana University's campus.
