THIS WEEK’S BIRTHDAYS
TODAY, FEB 4
Dara O Briain, comedian and TV presenter, is 46. Patrick Bergin, Irish actor who plays villain Aidan Maguire in EastEnders, is 67. Natalie Imbruglia, singer, is 43. Alice Cooper, shock-rock singer, is 70. Tim Booth, singer with James, is 58. Lisa Burke, Carlow-born news presenter on Sky, is 41.
MONDAY, FEB 5
Bobby Brown, singer and ex-husband of Whitney Houston, is 49. Duff McKagan, Guns ’n’ Roses bassist, is 54. Michael Sheen, actor, is 49. Charlotte Rampling, actress, is 72. Christopher Guest, the writer/director who made Spinal Tap, is 70. Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid and Portugal footballer, is 33. Neymar, world’s most expensive footballer (at €222m), is 26. Sven-Goran Eriksson, former England manager, is 70.
TUESDAY, FEB 6
Richard Boyd Barrett , TD for Dun Laoghaire, is 51. Jim Sheridan, movie director, is 69. Axl Rose, Guns ’n’ Roses singer, is 56. Margo, Irish country music icon, is 67. Calum Best, TV personality and son of George, is 37. Rick Astley, singer, is 52. Bernard Dunne, former European boxing champ, is 38. Dermot Bolger, writer, is 59. Jimmy Tarbuck, comedian, is 78.
WEDNESDAY, FEB 7
Garth Brooks, pop country singer, is 56. Mick McCarthy, former Ireland boss, now managing Ipswich Town, is 59. Rory O’Hanlon, former Ceann Comhairle, is 84. Ashton Kutcher, actor and ex-husband of Demi Moore, is 40. Eddie Izzard, comedian and actor, is 56. David Bryan, keyboard player with Bon Jovi, is 56.
THURSDAY, FEB 8
John Grisham, author, is 63. Nick Nolte, actor, is 77. Ralf Little, star of The Royle Family, is 38. Vince Neil, lead singer with Motley Crue, is 57. Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, half of Daft Punk, is 44. Trinny Woodall, fashion guru, is 54. Paddy Prendergast, former Kilkenny hurler, is 60. John Williams, composer, is 86.
FRIDAY, FEB 9
Seamus Deane, Irish poet and novelist, is 78. Joe Pesci, Home Alone actor, is 75. Carole King, singer-songwriter, is 76. Alice Walker, author of The Colour Purple, is 74. Holly Johnson, Frankie Goes to Hollywood singer, is 58. Tom Hiddleston, actor, is 37.
SATURDAY, FEB 10
Bryan Dobson, RTE presenter, is 58. John Magnier, businessman, is 70. Richard Corrigan, celebrity chef, is 54. Gordon D’Arcy, Ireland rugby player, is 38. Robert Wagner, actor, is 88. Laura Dern, actress, is 51. Greg Norman, golfer, is 63. Mark Spitz, US swimmer, is 68. Justin Gatlin, American sprinter, is 36. Roberta Flack, singer, is 81. Jimmy Merchant, singer with Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, is 78.