#OBITUARY: Dickie Rock has died aged 88

Irish singer Richard ‘Dickie’ Rock has died aged 88. A mainstay of Ireland’s showbands down the years, he represented his country at the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest.

Dickie was born on 10 October 1936 in Dublin, and raised in Cabra. In the 1960s and early 1970s, he was the lead singer with the Miami Showband, with whom he had seven Number Ones. Here’s Dickie in a later performance of the Miami Showband’s first No.1 There’s always me.

In 1966, Dickie won the Irish National final on 25 January, in which he sang three songs. His winner, which won by a landslide was Come back to stay, written by Rowland Soper. He also performed Can’t make up my mind and Oh! Why?, which came fifth and ninth respectively. Here’s his performance at the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest at Luxembourg’s Villa Louvigny. He finished fourth out of 18.

Dickie had already made the Irish national final in 1965, losing out to Butch Moore. He tried again in 1969, losing out to Muriel Day.

By 1973, he’d left the Miami Showband was performing solo, having a clutch of chart hit over the next 16 years. He continued to tour well into his 80s, receiving a lifetime achievement award in 2009. in 2019, he retired from the music scene due to his health.

Dickie died on 6 December 2024, aged 88. Eurovision Ireland’s thoughts are with Dickie’s family and friends at this sad time.

Author: John Stanton

Source: Eurovision Ireland