Celebrity, money and material possessions meant nothing to Ian and he made people feel valued and loved by appealing directly to their human side, communicating in the same robust and ribald manner with one and all. A glance at the faces of those who had known him revealed a great deal about his universal popularity and his flair for connecting with people from all walks of life. He had all his dignity intact, right to the last second."īright sunshine bathed the courtyard of Golders Green Crematorium on the morning of April 5, as Ian's kaleidoscopic circle of friends gathered outside the west chapel for his funeral service. But he was himself he was himself to the very end. For the last day and a half he could barely speak. All I can say is that he did everything that he wanted to in his life and he even died when he wanted to. It's difficult to say exactly how we feel because none of us has had any sleep. His energy and enthusiasm were an inspiration for all cancer patients."īaxter Dury, speaking on the day of his dad's death, told The Times: "I and the whole family were with Ian when he died. Even during his illness he raised £100,000 for us. A spokesman for the charity said: "Ian was a tireless supporter. Ian had campaigned for the charity Cancer BACUP and throughout his illness attempted to remove the taboos about the disease. He said there were three things on his agenda: his music, UNICEF and cancer, the disease to which he finally succumbed." We have all lost a wonderful man, a real human being." Jo Bexley of UNICEF, with whom he had travelled on polio immunisation missions, said: "There is only one word which describes him: awesome. Mo Mowlam, who had come to know Ian personally, said: "Those who knew him as a performer and a friend know that the world will be a duller place without him. He was still giving his all right til the end. Suggs from Madness added: "Ian really was the reason Madness started. He should be posthumously made our Poet Laureate." Annie Nightingale, the former Radio1 DJ, described him as "the most cheerful genius I have ever met". Jools Holland, the pianist and presenter of BBC2's Later With Jools Holland, said: "I was made an honorary Blockhead, which is one of the proudest accolades of my life. Musicians and figures from varying walks of public life paid their respects to a man who had struck a chord with so many people. The high-profile BBC2 current affairs show Newsnight included a tribute in its programme that evening, while old documentaries were rebroadcast in the days following his death. The tabloids also ran prominent tributes. The Daily Telegraph and Independent carried large pictures of Ian on their front pages, it was front-page news in the Guardian and extensive obituaries were published by all the quality broadsheets. Ian Dury was held in unusually high regard in Britain and the fact that he had reached all sections of society, young and old, was movingly reflected in the coverage of his death. Ian really didn't have any beliefs beyond this existence and it's nice that Sophy was able to get that sort of imagery into Albert's and Bill's minds." Then Bill got his guitar and Albert got his bongos and sat at the foot of the bed playing music it was just a brilliant atmosphere in the place, but that's Sophy. "I went into the bedroom and Sophy had dressed Ian up smart, with his flat cap and everything, and laid him out on his little bed and he looked absolutely fantastic. I rang on the door and Sophy answered with Albert and Bill and they re both smiling and saying, Daddy s gone to heaven, so there was a good atmosphere. I made my way over with quite a lot of trepidation because I didn't know what the atmosphere was going to be like in the house. About an hour later his passing was announced on the news wires and on radio stations.ĭury's pal Rainbow George was one of the first to hear that his friend had died: "Sophy phoned me up about lunch-time and told me the news and asked me to come over. I knew Ian's health had declined in the previous few weeks but it still came as a shock. I was at work when Mickey Gallagher telephoned me to tell me the sad news. He had been surrounded by his family in the weeks leading up to his death and they were with him when the final moment came.
At 9am on Monday March 27, 2000, Ian Dury died peacefully at his Hampstead home.
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