The footy world is in mourning after the loss of Carlton premiership player Peter Bosustow, who passed away after a courageous battle with cancer at the age of 67.

Bosustow, affectionately known as ‘The Buzz’, was a fan favourite thanks to his flamboyant character and electrifying presence on the field.

The two-time Carlton premiership forward died on Sunday evening shortly after watching his Blues record an underdog win over Geelong.

The high-flying Western Australian had a long battle with cancer – and had announced he was free of the disease in 2023.

However, news of his second battle with the disease was made public in early April.

Carlton premiership player Peter Bosustow (pictured) has died aged 67 

Bosustow (pictured bottom middle with former Blues coach Robert Walls, top, and teammates Jon Dorotich, left, and Stephan Kernehan, right) got to see his beloved team beat Geelong on Sunday before he passed away

Carlton released a statement expressing the club’s grief, saying ‘the great Australian game has lost a little of its lustre today’.

The Blues great kicked 146 goals in 65 matches for Carlton and was integral in the club’s 1981-82 premierships.

Before his VFL career, Bosustow was a star in the WAFL, notching up 141 games for Perth between 1975 and 1980 – and then again from 1984 to 1987.

His move across the Nullarbor to Carlton brought his dynamic skills to a national stage, where he became a cult hero. 

In 2021,  Bosustow confirmed he’d been diagnosed with cancer.

‘It’s been a bit of a shock,’ he said at the time.

‘I was losing a bit of weight, which I thought was good at the time, until my doctor sent me off for a colonoscopy. 

‘The colonoscopy revealed a mass, and subsequent tests revealed spots on my liver, which means it’s spread a bit. But I’ll be in the fight. I’m not going to shirk the issue.’

Bosustow kicked 146 goals in 65 matches for the Blues and was integral in the club’s 1981-82 premierships

Carlton Football Club said ‘the great Australian game has lost a little of its lustre today’

Bosustow believed his health issues were related to the stresses brought on by the collapse of a lifetime home lease scheme, which cost him a quarter of a million dollars.

‘But that’s all by the by now,’ Bosustow said. 

‘I’m in the fight now and I’m meeting it head-on. I’m positive about it all, which is the way you’ve got to be.’

Carlton legend Ken Hunter, also from Western Australia, paid tribute to his ex-teammate after the sad news broke.

‘I think of what a character “Buzz” was and how much he took to the big stage,’ he said.

‘I look back on him in his first year, winning Mark of the Year, Goal of the Year and a Grand Final – him being a half forward, me being a half back.

‘He used to joke that I was the extrovert and him the introvert, when it was obviously the other way around. He was a unique character and a rare football talent in equal measure. That talent was obvious in Perth but it went to another level when he came to Melbourne.

‘The Carlton people loved ‘Buzz’ and he loved Carlton.’