Claim: Malcolm Young is a retired songwriter and musician.

Malcolm Mitchell Young -LRB- born 6 January 1953 -RRB- is an Australian retired musician and songwriter , best known as a co-founder , rhythm guitarist , backing vocalist and songwriter for the hard rock band AC/DC . Except for a brief absence in 1988 , he was with the band from its November 1973 beginning until retiring permanently in 2014 , due to health reasons . Young and the other members of AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 .   Though his younger brother Angus is the more visible of the brothers , Malcolm has been described as the driving force and the leader of the band . He also added that despite his retirement from the band , AC/DC was determined to continue making music with his blessing . As the rhythm guitarist , he was responsible for the broad sweep of the band 's sound , developing many of their guitar riffs and co-writing the band 's material with Angus . He is married to Linda Young and has two children , Cara and Ross .   Young took a leave of absence from AC/DC in April 2014 , to receive treatment for dementia . In September 2014 , the band 's management announced that he would be retiring permanently .