Legendary comedian Brendan Grace has been remembered as one of the "great entertainers" following his death today.
And his booking manager has revealed how Frank Sinatra "fell around the place laughing" at the hilarious comic and the pair later became firm friends.
Brendan passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family in the early hours of Thursday morning after bravely battling cancer.
Brendan's promoter and booking manager Tom Kelly paid a fond tribute to the star on RTE's Morning Ireland.
He said: "For 27 years, I've been with Brendan as his booking and business manager, it's a very very long time to be with one person.
"One of the great entertainers of this era, no doubt about that.
"You could see at every show how people just warmed to him and he just gave a performance every night that merited the applause of the audience, a fantastic entertainer, no doubt about that.
"On nights where the audience mightn't have been, as you would say a very warm audience, he could turn round, pick up his guitar and sing a song with great authority, he was a very fine singer as well.
"He started off as a singer way back, over 50 years ago and got into comedy then which obviously he made a very successful career of.
"We can look back with pride on Brendan's lifetime, great family man, very very close to his family and just adored by his fans all over the country and abroad as well.
Tom added that as Brendan's fame grew, his legions of fans also grew in the UK, America and around the world.
And he revealed how Brendan became close pals with actor and singer Frank Sinatra after he visited Dublin for a concert in 1989.
Sinatra said he would to hear and see an Irish comic perform while he was in town and Oliver Barry organised a show.
Tom said: "Sinatra fell around the place laughing at Brendan and that opened up doors in America. He performed with Frank Sinatra in The Albert Hall in London and at American concerts as well.
"Consequently, Brendan became quite a name in America because of that."
