Radio presenter Tam Cowan said last night he would raise a glass to toast his friend of 30 years.
In a tribute to Sydney – dubbed Steak & Kidney by some of his fans, Tam said: “I’m absolutely gutted. He was a proper pal and I’d been going to see him perform live for years.
“I never missed his shows at the Pavilion and always went to see him backstage.
“Sydney was good fun and a laugh. He was approachable and very down-to-earth. I genuinely liked his music and have all his CDs.
“He was a true friend and I enjoyed his company.”
Tam, who has a column in the Mail’s sister paper, the Daily Record, added: “I spoke to his daughter Karen last week. She called to say she was under the impression he had picked up a bit.
“She said to me, ‘You’ll need to text him because he’s missing a bit of cheek’.
“He always liked a bit of a carry-on so I texted him with a bit of dark humour saying I’d seen that Dean Park was talking to the Pavilion about taking over his annual show.
“Sydney came back right away, saying, ‘Yeah, he’d never fit in to any of my suits.’”
Actress Elaine C Smith said: “Quite literally, he was a star – a huge star in Scotland and across the UK. He was wonderful and joyous. I was definitely a fan.
“Sydney was funny, self-aware, intelligent and totally understood what he gave to his huge audiences. Sad news today.”
.png?w=600)
