Josef Locke, the Derry-born tenor, died in the early hours of yesterday morning at a nursing home in Clane, Co Kildare, near where he lived in retirement.
Born Joseph McLaughlin in 1917, Locke will be remembered as much for his talent as a tenor as for his larger-than-life character and the various controversies which dogged him throughout his career.
The Creggan boy was dubbed "The Singing Bobby" after a stint in the RUC in Enniskillen before his entry into showbusiness. He went on to become one of the highest-paid entertainers of the day in Britain, though his finances were consistently marred by tax problems, which in 1958 resulted in his exile from that country.
Speaking from the EU summit in Finland yesterday, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, expressed sadness at the death. He was approached by the Spanish delegation at the conference because Locke's son, Mr Carl McLaughlin, is an interpreter for the Spanish Prime Minister, Mr Jose Maria Aznar. They asked if Mr Ahern could help Mr McLaughlin get to Ireland in time for the funeral and Locke's son will be flown back on the Government jet today. Locke got his first break in the role of Gaylord in a performance of Showboat at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin in 1943 and followed this with acclaimed performances at variety venues around the capital.
With Sir Lew Grade as his agent in Britain he commanded fees of up to £2,000 per week and throughout the 1940s and 1950s was the brightest star on the variety circuit there. The combination of his powerful voice, his impressive frame and his witty one-liners proved irresistible, particularly to his female fans who packed venues to hear his trademark songs Blaze Away (We'll Make a Bonfire of our Troubles), How Could You Buy Killarney and The Last Goodbye.
"It was bloody marvellous," the flamboyant performer told Gay Byrne during the tribute programme held for him on The Late Late Show in 1984.
Not quite so marvellous was the scrutiny of tax officials in England which forced him to leave the country, where, because of his 19 seasons at the seaside town, he was now known as Mr Blackpool. On returning to England in 1967 he is thought to have cleared much of the substantial tax bill.
His career took him around the world, but at home he purchased a number of pubs and properties. In 1963 he was given a four-month prison sentence for larceny which was later successfully appealed.
With Locke confined to Ireland one man, known in the ensuing court case as Mr X, took advantage of his absence by styling himself Josef Locke and performing in the cabaret clubs of Britain. His impersonation was so accurate that police put Mr X in jail for tax evasion before discovering he was not the real Josef Locke.
Continuing his reputation as a comeback-king, Locke retained low-key success throughout the 1970s, but re-emerged in 1984 after an interview with RTE's Mike Murphy. When at the end of 1980s obscurity beckoned again, his second renaissance was prompted by the release of a movie loosely based on his life and times. Hear My Song was released in 1992 and Locke entered the pop charts for the first time. But Locke, by now living with wife Carmel in Co Kildare, was reported as saying he didn't think his life was worth a movie.
Fellow Derry man Phil Coulter said yesterday that he had "a great respect and grudging affection" for Locke. "He was a consummate entertainer and it would be unfair to judge him only as a singer . . . he earned his spurs".
The removal will take place from Clane hospital tomorrow at 6.15 p.m. to St Patrick's and St Brigid's Church, Clane, arriving at 6.45 p.m. There will be a requiem mass at 11 a.m. on Monday, followed by a cremation at Glasnevin crematorium in Co Dublin.