Lord of the Dance
Irish entertainer Val Doonican dies aged 88
Entertainment

Irish entertainer Val Doonican dies aged 88

IRISH singer and entertainer Val Doonican has passed away at the age of 88.

His family announced that he died “peacefully” at a Buckinghamshire nursing home yesterday, July 1.

The Waterford native was a familiar face on British and Irish televisions with The Val Doonican Show, which ran on BBC for an impressive 21 years from 1965 to 1986.

He also had a string of top 10 hits in the 1960s and 1970s on both sides of the Irish Sea and five of his albums reached the top 10 in Britain.

Val Doonican was born in Waterford on February 3, 1927.

His contribution to the music industry in Ireland and Britain was recognised in 2011, when Waterford Mayor Mary Roche awarded him the Freedom of Waterford City.

He is survived by his wife Lynn, daughters Sarah and Fiona and grandchildren Bethany and Scott.

Listen to one of Val's biggest hits, Elusive Butterfly, below