Hot Press is deeply saddened to hear the terrible news that Frank Murray (pictured on the left with Mike Adamson, CEO of Live Nation Ireland) has died. While the cause of his death will not be fully confirmed till later, Hot Press understands that it was a result of a heart attack. His death, which occurred earlier today, was sudden.

Frank was a seminal figure in Irish rock music, who first came to prominence as a key member of the Thin Lizzy camp. For many years, he was the band’s tour manager and worked closely alongside Philip Lynott. When his involvement with Lizzy ended, Frank took on a similar role with Elton John and The Specials and, later on, he managed The Frames, overseeing their signing to ZTT Records; Kirsty McColl; and most famously, The Pogues.

He was centrally involved in the conception of what is the greatest Christmas song of them all, bringing Kirsty McColl (since deceased) on board to work with The Pogues on the magnificent ‘Fairytale of New York’.

A highly intelligent and cultured individual, along the way he also managed Rí Rá and the late Bap Kennedy. He spent over half a decade in the US, where he worked in theatre and movies, acting as Executive Producer on the highly rated Come On Eileen, which starred Noel Fielding, Mercedes Grower, Julia Davis and Keith Allen. More recently, he managed The Mighty Stef and The Lost Brothers and he was also involved in the career of Temper Mental Misselayneous.

“Frank was widely loved in rock ’n’ roll circles,” Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said. “He was a great talker and story-teller and had lived through so much, and worked with so many great people, that he was a fountain of hugely entertaining yarns and stories. He was an ideas man, who had a unique way of looking at the world – but he was also someone to whom you could turn for a fresh and interesting perspective on whatever was going on in the entertainment business.

“He was driven by a great love of music. But he was also immensely knowledgeable. He knew the history of rock ’n’ roll inside out. And he was always alive to what was happening now, and remained open to new artists and new genres. It is a desperately sad moment for Irish rock music. He will be hugely missed by everyone who knew him."