Singer Imelda May has paid tribute to Aslan frontman Christy Dignam describing the singer-songwriter as a "working-class hero" and a "true artist".
Imelda May joined Claire Byrne on her RTÉ Radio 1 show to give a heartfelt tribute to Dignam, who she collaborated with on a number of occasions, most recently on Song for Kathryn, a song dedicated to his wife.
"He was an extraordinary man, an extraordinary performer," said May.
"I’d like to say that he was a working-class hero, which really influenced me growing up, 'cos you don’t get a lot of working-class people in music, and to see him do his thing and be a proper working-class Dub, it made me think, ‘Maybe I can do that’".
She continued: "The thing that was so special about Christy [was that] he was a true artist, a total true artist.
"Now some people are performers and some people are artists, and he’s a true artist.
"An artist will open their chest and bare his soul and Christy did that, and he did that always. He would show you every single part of him and give… that’s brave, it’s honest, it’s truthful, but also, it takes a lot out of you."
She praised his ability to create "true connection" with his music, saying, "He sang and wrote about every part of his life – the truth – ‘cos he knew that was the only way of true connection.
"When you’d listen to him, you knew the truth in everything he said and you could connect with everything he said.
"That’s a rare gem, that’s a properly true artist, dedicated to the art. That’s not something you can just pick up. That’s in your soul, and that’s why he was so special.
"And you could believe every word he said. You could rely on him to tell the truth.
She continued: "He was resilient, he was truthful, he was funny, he was a gent… he was a proper Dub.
"He was head and shoulders about the rest.
"He was something else… a very special person," she finished.
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Singer Frances Black also remembered Dignam. She said: "I loved Christy, I have to say, I know everyone does.
"He had that ability to make you feel like he was your friend.
"He was a beautiful man, that's the only way I can describe him to you… and he made everyone feel special."
She continued: "There were no airs and graces… he was authentic to the core.
"I’m telling you he will be sadly, sadly missed in the music industry… we all loved him."
Broadcaster Ronan Collins said that Dignam was the best frontman of any Irish band he has ever met.
"He gave himself 100%. There have been lots of great performers, but in the rock arena, I think Christy was as fine a frontman as there ever was in any Irish band," Collins said.
"He exposed himself completely as a performer… he was as one with the band, and wanted to be as one with the audience… I just thought he was absolutely superb."
He referenced a collaboration between Aslan and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in 2011 of the song Nothing Rhymed, saying that Dignam told him afterwards how much he wished he had written the song himself, as the song "encapsulated so much in his life" - you can watch the performance here.
