Singer George Murphy has paid an emotional tribute to his "hero" Christy Dignam.
George became a fixture of the Irish music scene after making his name on “You're a Star”. And after the heartbreaking news broke of Aslan singer Christy receiving palliative care, the Beaumont native shared the influence he had on his life and career.
George recalled that he got a call from Christy after mentioning on TV that Aslan was his favourite band. Christy then invited him to be a special guest at one of the group’s gigs in Vicar Street.
Read more: Christy Dignam says 'kind words' have given him 'boost' since palliative care announcement
“Words can not describe what that meant and still means to me,” George wrote on Facebook. “I'll never forget sitting in my dressing room alone and nervous when you came and got me and brought me down to The Green Room to hang out with the band.
“You suggested we do Working Class Hero together on the night. I was a young lad about to go onstage with my hero. It was something so trivial to you and meant the whole world to me.”
Starstruck George hung out with the band and when it was time for him to go onstage, Christy decided to introduce him to the crowd by himself. “Ya walked on stage and the crowd went wild. ‘It's not time for the Aslan show just yet but I'm coming out to ask yas to give all your attention to this young lad, he's one of our own’.
“You have the ability to put the audience in the palm of your hand, but at that moment you took them from the palm of your hand and placed them in mine. You didn’t have to do that, you chose to do it just to be fucking sound and make it the most special experience a young fella could have.”
Over the years, George got to work with Aslan many times. “It didn't take me long to realise that you treated yourself as just another lad from a working class area in Dublin," he remembered.
“No airs or graces, down to earth, normal Joe Soap. That may be who you are in your own head but to me and many others you're a hero, sent from God with a gift to entertain and sing with a vocal capacity that is unmatched by anyone I've ever come across.”
George wrote he was “devastated” by the sad news and was thinking of Christy, his family and the band, sending them “nothing but love and gratitude”. He concluded: “You are a legend, a hero of mine, a hero to many and the happiness you have given to hundreds of thousands of people keeps you in the hearts and prayers of hundreds of thousands of people.”
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