Dave Fanning has broken his silence and publicly apologised to Christy Dignam’s family after he was slammed for his “inappropriate” tribute to the late singer.
The late Aslan frontman died last Tuesday after a ten-year battle with a rare blood cancer. Fanning was among the contributors paying tribute to Christy last Wednesday on Claire Byrne’s RTE Radio 1 show.
But fans were left angered after Fanning said that Christy “blew it royally” with his success due to his substance abuse.
READ MORE: RTE confirm complaints received after Dave Fanning's 'inappropriate comments' about Christy Dignam
On Monday more than 40 complaints – including four formal complaints – were received by RTE after fans were left gobsmacked by Fanning’s “inappropriate” comments about Christy. A further four complaints were received in the last 24 hours to RTE.
Fanning has now broken his silence, admitting he was “wrong” what he said and was trying to highlight “some deeper issues in Ireland during the eighties”. In a statement, he said he “missed the mark” and said his tribute was “ill-timed and poor taste”.
He said in a statement on Twitter: “I listened back to my bit on the radio about Christy Dignam feeling that it wasn’t perhaps as bad as some comments have made out.
“Comments were right, I was wrong - it was bad. I was trying to highlight some deeper issues in Ireland during the eighties and I totally missed the mark. Incredibly ill-timed and poor taste. I really didn’t intend to come across that way.”
But Fanning said on Tuesday that Christy was one of the “nicest and most genuine people” he ever met in the music business and he wants to apologise publicly to the Dignam family for his comments he made last week.
“Christy was honestly one of the nicest and most genuine people I met in the music business, as are all of Aslan, and I have said that many times down through the years. I particularly want to apologise to his family. Christy was ALWAYS a gentleman who deserves better than that from me,” he added.
Speaking on Claire Byrne’s RTÉ Radio One show last week, Fanning said that Dignam “blew” his image by turning to heroin.
“He blew it royally and he would say later on that, you know, 'I was abused at the age of six by a neighbour, and this whole of my life for ages so I filled it not by trying to get high with heroin, but just by filling it with heroin to keep myself away from the memory of it.'
“I remember saying to him, ‘Are you sure about that now Christy? Are you sure you're not trying to pull the wool over my eyes?’
“So look, you can look at it that way, if you like, that's what I'm saying. Basically, what I'm saying is you have two things about people who go on heroin, get rid of them are doing the best you can with them.
“He blew it royally and he would say later on that, you know, 'I was abused at the age of six by a neighbour, and this whole of my life for ages so I filled it not by trying to get high with heroin, but just by filling it with heroin to keep myself away from the memory of it.'
“I remember saying to him, ‘Are you sure about that now Christy? Are you sure you're not trying to pull the wool over my eyes?’
“So look, you can look at it that way, if you like, that's what I'm saying. Basically, what I'm saying is you have two things about people who go on heroin, get rid of them are doing the best you can with them.”
RTE didn't comment on the furore but instead announced they will air Christy’s This Is Christy documentary on Wednesday, which they already aired in 2017.
This Is Christy is a powerful documentary about the late singer’s life and his harrowing sexual abuse he was forced to endure as a young boy.
The 2017 documentary follows Aslan as they prepare to play a sell-out gig at the Iveagh Gardens in their hometown of Dublin and reveals how Dignam's love of music first began as he listened to his father sing while cooking the Sunday dinner in Finglas.
First formed in 1982, Aslan's debut album in 1988, Feel No Shame, hit number one in Ireland and the band were soon on the cusp of breaking the US market.
However, before they could release their second LP, the band split up due to rising tensions over Dignam's spiralling heroin addiction.
They came back together in 1993 after a one-off local gig, with their first new single, Crazy World, becoming one of the most played songs on Irish radio that year.
They have released six albums in total over the course of their career, with Dignam widely considered one of the most distinctive vocal talents and charismatic performers to ever come out of Ireland.
On Saturday, thousands of mourners lined the streets in the singer's hometown of Finglas in north Dublin to pay their respects ahead of a private funeral.
In a statement confirming his death on Tuesday, 13 June, his family wrote: "Modest and down-to-earth, Christy was as comfortable and happy singing at small, intimate gigs as he was to packed venues.
"A generous supporter of countless charity events, often turning up at the bedsides of admirers who were ill. Christy’s loss leaves a void that will be impossible to fill.
"He is survived by his beloved wife Kathryn his darling daughter Kiera, grandchildren Cian, Ava and Jake, son-in law Darren Moran, sisters and brothers Bernadette, Deirdre, James, Brian, Therese, Jackie and Eddie, extended family, fellow Aslan members, neighbours, friends and all who knew and loved him."
This is Christy, Wednesday, RTÉ One, 10:35pm.
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