Tributes paid to Eamonn Campbell of the Dubliners
LEGENDARY Dubliners star Eamonn Campbell was last night remembered as a ‘character’ and a ‘great musician’ after he sadly passed away on Tuesday night.
The 71-year-old musician was surrounded by his family and friends in a hospital in the Netherlands at the time.
‘Very sad and devastated’
The Dublin Legends, the group he was touring with until recent days, confirmed his death.
They said they were ‘very sad and devastated to announce that our friend and colleague Eamonn Campbell has died after a short illness’.
In a statement released online by Seán Cannon, Gerry O’Connor and Paul Watchorn, they said: ‘Eamonn was a true legend and brilliant guitar player.
‘He passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife and family. He will be greatly missed by all his friends and fans around the world. We are heartbroken and we thank you all for your thoughts and prayers at this time.’
Eamonn, who hailed from Drogheda in Co. Louth, was last night remembered as a ‘character’ by his friend and longtime European manager Bauke Algera.
Confirming the news, Mr Algera said he was in the hospital with Mr Campbell’s family yesterday.
‘He passed away and I am very sad, everybody is sad,’ he told the Irish Daily Mail. He said the group had just finished their Dutch tour in recent days, but that Mr Campbell had difficulty breathing so he was admitted to hospital in the Netherlands.
Mr Algera said he and the musician were ‘very, very close’, adding: ‘He was a long time in The Dubliners.
‘He was a great person, he was a great musician too. He was a great producer. He was a character and he was very strong.’
It was Mr Campbell’s suggestion that The Dubliners work with London-Irish band The Pogues, in the mid-1980s, thus giving them their biggest UK hit to date – The Irish Rover – and an appearance on Top of the Pops.
Mr Campbell had six children and ten grandchildren, and is survived by his wife Noreen.