R'n'B king Tony D loses cancer fight

Dixon (53), who has long been considered Ireland's king of R'n'B, passed away peacefully in hospital in the early hours of the morning with his family at his side.

He is survived by his young son Josh and several siblings.

The Castleknock music man has been a regular fixture on the capital's music scene for the last two decades, earning a reputation as one of the hardest-working men in the business.

PASSION

Even during his last months, when he was undergoing intensive chemotherapy for his illness, he would still go into work as much as possible, because of his passion for music.

This morning, his close friend, celebrity solicitor Gerald Kean, expressed his sorrow at losing his friend of 30 years, saying: "He was a lifelong friend of mine, an extraordinarily generous man."

"He was extremely thoughtful and would do anything for anyone. We go back a long way, there's no doubt about that," he told the Herald.

"That's what I always admired most about him, that he would always go out of his way for anyone.

"He was a wonderful father and he enjoyed life."

Justin Green from MCD, who worked for more than 20 years in the music industry with Tony D, said his death marked "a very sad day for the music industry".

Dixon began his career as a breakfast show presenter on pirate radio stations Pulse 103 and the Essential Galaxy, giving Dubliners their only fix of R'n'B in the mornings. He was also famous for bringing MTV's Lick Party, BBC Radio 1's Trevor Nelson and MOBO award-winning club night Fresh 'n' Funky to Ireland.

In recent years, he was best known for his weekend slot on FM104.

cmcbride@herald.ie