Celebrating Dean Sullivan, 7th June 1955 to 29th November 2023.
Yes, this is ostensibly a music blog and no, I'm not aware that Dean ever released any music, though he did a bit of DJing and radio presenting. I could have sworn that he also appeared 'in character' in a video in the 1980s/90s but I'll be darned if I can find any evidence.
However, as an actor, he appeared as the unforgettable Jimmy Corkhill in Brookside, arguably the greatest UK TV soap opera of all time.
Dean's passing has been somewhat overshadowed by news of the deaths of Henry Kissinger, Alastair Darling and Shane MacGowan in the past 24 hours, so I wanted to give him a nod of thanks here.
Dean appeared on BBC TV earlier this year - with Louis Emerick aka Mick Johnson - to talk about Brookside.
And, to keep the tenuous link to music, here's the Brookside theme tune written by Dave Roylance in full.
Thanks for providing us with years of drama as Jimmy Corkhill. Rest in peace, Dean.
Brookside was brilliant back then thanks in no small part to Dean's performance.
ReplyDeleteThanks, CC. Not that I've watched soaps in the past couple of decades but Brookie was unbeatable in its heyday. And boy, did Jimmy go on quite the journey! As you say, a credit to Dean's acting.
DeleteI hadn't heard this. What a shame. Jimmy Corkhill was a legend!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rol. It was a brief blip in my news feed, quickly overtaken by the other announcements. I thought Dean deserved a bit more than that. Brookie without Jimmy would have been like The Smiths without Johnny Marr. Or something like that.
DeleteAs a music blogger, quizmeister and researcher par excellence, do you recall if Dean appeared in a music video in the 80s/90s, possibly in character as Jimmy? I was convinced he had but I haven't been able to find any trace of this so I may have imagined the whole thing.