Christy Dignam has opened up about losing his father, Christy Senior, to COVID-19.
The Aslan frontman’s father, who was living in a nursing home in Finglas, sadly passed away at the age of 89 last week – after contracting the coronavirus.
Speaking on The Late Late Show on Friday night, the singer revealed his heartbreak over not being allowed to say goodbye to his beloved dad.
“I was kind of hoping since he got dementia, that he’d pass away in his sleep slowly, but then when this Covid thing came along, it was just impossible because we couldn’t see him really, for months,” he said.
“And then when he passed away, the coffin is sealed and that’s it you’re not allowed see him.”
“I’ll never forget the pain of it, just that you could never see him again, I’ll never see his face again.”
“You know if somebody dies you go to their wake and you say goodbye and you kiss them and honest to God, I know that doesn’t seem like much but I really missed that.”
Christy explained:Â “About two weeks ago we got a call that he had tested positive for Covid so from then on it was just horrible because we knew we weren’t going to see him again.”
“I’ll never forget the pain of it, just that thing that you never see him again or never see his face again.”
.@OfficialAslan’s frontman Christy Dignam speaks to Ryan about the recent passing of his beloved father due to Covid-19. #LateLate pic.twitter.com/z5Ud4zzXlE
— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) May 15, 2020
“We got phone calls and stuff but it’s not the same you know. He had eight kids, so I’ve seven siblings, we’re all in relationships so we all have partners.”
“He had 11 grandkids, 12 great grandkids so there’s huge family there and there’s only nine people allowed at the funeral. Nine plus whoever was doing the ceremony so it was awful.”
Although he didn’t get to speak to his dad in person before he died, Christy managed to see him through a window a few days before he passed.
He said: “In the last week before he passed away I was getting frantic, I just kind of feel that something was happening and I rang one day.. and he said, ‘Why are you not coming up to visit me. Nobody’s coming up to see me.'”
“And I was trying to explain to him you know but he couldn’t grasp that concept. That was heartbreaking, really heartbreaking.”
“On the Saturday, he died on the Wednesday, so the Saturday before the Wednesday, I rang the family, I said,’Come on, we’ll all head down. We’ll go to the nursing home an stand outside the window.’
“So we were spread out all around the car park so he came up to the window and there was two nurses with him and he had the boiler suit, big rubber gloves and I was just thinking that would terrify him.
“So anyway he waved to us and that moment was amazing. It was like he said goodbye to us then,” he added.
On this week’s episode of #GossChats, Goss.ie Founder Ali Ryan chats to TV presenter and fashion guru Darren Kennedy about anxiety during lockdown, how to stay positive, his two new shows and styling yourself in isolation.
#GossChats is sponsored by top Irish aesthetic clinic Haus of JeJuve.
