Funeral details confirmed for former Dancing with the Stars judge Julian Benson
Funeral details have been announced for dancer, choreographer, talent agent and dancing judge, Julian Benson, who passed away at the weekend at St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin, aged 54.
Benson, who lived in Ballsbridge in Dublin, was predeceased by his mother Maura. He is mourned by his brother Adrian, sister-in-law Rachel, nieces Leah and Ailbhe and nephew Cian, as well as his cousins, relatives, close friends and their families, and a wide circle of friends.
Julian will lie in repose at Fanagan's Funeral Home, Aungier Street on Friday April 25 from 5pm until 7pm. A requiem mass will be celebrated the following day at 11am in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Donnybrook. Burial will follow at Glasnevin Cemetery. His loved ones have requested that donations be made to the Julian Benson CF Foundation in lieu of flowers.
In a notice on Rip.ie, Julian's family expressed their heartfelt thanks to all the care teams who helped Julian live 'a full and extraordinary life'.
'In particular: the incredible Cystic Fibrosis team at St Vincent's University Hospital, whose expertise and compassion supported Julian throughout his life; the transplant team at Beaumont Hospital, whose care gave Julian renewed energy and allowed him to see his dream realised and the ICU team at St. Vincent's, who cared for Julian with tenderness and kindness during his final days,' Benson's death notice read.
Benson's family confirmed his passing in a statement on Saturday after a 'courageous battle with Cystic Fibrosis'.
Mr Benson was diagnosed with the condition when he was a toddler, began dancing when he was just four years old and turned pro at the age of 14.
He was best known for his time on the judging panel of RTÉ's Dancing with the Stars, where he was affectionately referred to as 'Captain Sparkle' for his trademark, sparkly, custom-made jackets.
Julian kept his cystic fibrosis diagnosis private for over 40 years. It was only in 2018, during an appearance on The Late Late Show, that he revealed his lifelong illness and shared his dream of creating a charity to support people with his condition.
That night, he announced the birth of the Julian Benson Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (JBCFF) and said: 'I have Cystic Fibrosis, but Cystic Fibrosis doesn't have me.'
He teamed up with Dermot Bannon, of RTÉ's Room to Improve, to create a home away from home for Cystic Fibrosis patients during their hospital treatments in Dublin. Tranquility House in Dublin assists families who otherwise would have to make a round trip from all over the country to St Vincent's Hospital, which is the National Referral hospital for cystic fibrosis.
His relatives said that Julian always wanted to provide a place where families could 'find comfort and peace during difficult times'.
'This extraordinary achievement was made possible by the generosity of over 130 companies and individuals who believed in Julian's vision. The remarkable transformation of Tranquility House, featured on Room to Improve in January of this year, is a testament to the power of community and to Julian's unyielding determination.
"Julian's sparkle remains alive in Tranquility House, in the continued work of the Julian Benson Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and in the hearts of all who knew him.
"His energy, passion, and joy for life live on through the countless lives he touched, the community he built, and the legacy he leaves behind. 'Cha Cha Boom!' – his iconic catchphrase – will forever be synonymous with his vibrant spirit, his unwavering zest for life, and the joy he brought to everyone around him.'
His family added that Julian retained his 'strength, warmth and sparkle until the very end'.
'He will be remembered not only for his quick witty one-liners but also for his unwavering kindness and encouragement towards the contestants.'
Mr Benson was a native of Adelaide in Australia who moved to Ireland with his Irish parents when he was 12 years old. He was a graduate of UCD, where he obtained a degree in Psychology, English and Irish.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
From that Small Island review: Colin Farrell sounds in pain, as if he pressed on despite urgently needing the loo
It has become fashionable to portray Irish history as one calamity after another: invasion, famine, The 2 Johnnies . Will the horrors never end? But From that Small Island – The Story of the Irish, RTÉ's ponderous portrait of the country from the Stone Age to the present, goes out of its way to avoid such cliches and to show us the bigger picture. The Horrible Histories version of Ireland, whereby everything was great until the Brits showed up, is carefully avoided. Lots of fascinating facts are crammed into the first of four episodes (RTÉ One, 6.30pm). We learn that the original inhabitants of Ireland were dark-skinned and blue-eyed. It is also revealed that the Battle of Clontarf was not the native Irish against the Vikings so much as the native Irish against Dublin and their Viking allies. It was the medieval equivalent of a Leinster final, with the Dubs going down to a last-minute free. But if sprinkled with intriguing nuggets, much about the series is familiar, if not formulaic. Following on from 1916: The Irish Rebellion and 2019's The Irish Revolution, it is the latest RTÉ historical epic to rely on moody drone shots of the Irish landscape, an infinite staircase worth of academics and gravel-voiced narration by an Irish actor. [ 'We Irish were never homogeneous. Always hybrids, always mongrels' Opens in new window ] This gig has previously gone to Liam Neeson , who narrated The Irish Rebellion, and Cillian Murphy , who provided voiceover on The Irish Revolution . Now it's Colin Farrell who goes from playing Penguin to talking about pagan practices in Portumna. But while he does his best to breathe life into an episode that traces the arrival of the first farmers in Ireland and the later coming of the Vikings, he sounds ever so slightly in pain throughout, as if he had decided to press on when he urgently needed the loo. READ MORE From that Small Island has a thesis: that Ireland has always been a globalised nation – neither a destination nor a leaving point, but an international crossroads. In Italy , former president Mary McAleese discusses the influence on the Continent of medieval Ireland's great wandering monk, St Columbanus. She adds that his teachings were key to the founding of the European Union – although she does not fully explain this claim, leaving it to dangle in the dry Italian wind. But grand ambitions run aground on dull execution. As with the Liam Neeson 1916 documentary – which this series shares a writer with, University of Notre Dame's Bríona Nic Dhiarmad – there is a feeling of observing a dry academic exercise made with one eye on overseas audiences rather than something intended to bring history alive for Irish viewers. Tellingly, this voice-of-god style of storytelling has fallen out of favour elsewhere. On British TV, for instance, historians are forever getting their hands dirty and making history come alive by staring it straight in the face. That isn't to suggest Farrell should do a Lucy Worsley and dress up as Brian Boru. But wouldn't From that Small Island be so much more fun if he did? And that, in the end, is what is missing. Irish history is tumultuous, tragic, funny and bittersweet – but this worthy-to-a-fault series removes all the blood, sweat and tears. It belongs firmly in the 'eat your greens' school of documentary-making – and cries out for more spice and sizzle.
Irish Post
8 hours ago
- Irish Post
Top Irish cast to join Love/Hate creator Stuart Carolan for darkly-comic crime drama, Tall Tales & Murder
A CAST of top Irish talent has been lined up for a new darkly-comic crime drama, which is being adapted for the small screen by Love/Hate creator Stuart Carolan. Tall Tales & Murder is based on Irish writer Caimh McDonnell's Dublin Trilogy, whch, despite its name, is a series of eight books that follows the exploits of former garda Bunny McGarry. British comedian Chris Addison has co-created the show with Carolan, while the series will star Love/Hate alumnus Aidan Gillen. Also among the cast are Irish stars Ella Lily Hyland (Towards Zero), Philippa Dunne (Derry Girls) and Packy Lee (Peaky Blinders). Two six-part series have been commissioned by RTÉ and BBC Northern Ireland, in association with Screen Ireland, while the show is produced by Avalon. 'Dark and delicious' Carolan expressed his delight at working with Addison on the series, which began filming in Ireland this week and is set to premiere in 2026. "I've been a fan of the brilliant Chris Addison since The Thick of It — it's been incredible fun working with him to bring this insane story to life," he said. Addison will serve as director and producer on the series. As well as starring in The Thick of It, the comedian and writer will also be familiar to fans of TV panel show, Mock the Week, where he was a regular guest. The Tall Tales & Murder team (clockwise from top left) includes Ella Lily Hyland, Aidan Gillen, Philippa Dunne, Chris Addison, Stuart Carolan and Packy Lee (Image: BBC Media) Addison co-created the comedy series Breeders, directing several episodes, and received an Emmy nomination for his directorial work on the US sitcom, Veep. "I'm frankly giddy with delight to get to team up with the twisted and highly-original mind of Stuart Carolan to create this show," he said. "We've taken Caimh's wonderful novel as a jumping off point and ended up with what I like to think of as a dark and delicious screwball drama." Shining a light on modern Ireland Eddie Doyle, Head of Content Commissioning at BBC Northern Ireland, described Carolan and Addison as 'masters of their craft'. "Tall Tales & Murder is storytelling at its darkest, funniest and most surreal," he said. "We're looking forward to bringing audiences with us on this wild and thrilling ride from Stuart Carolan and Chris Addison, masters of their craft. "There's a fantastic cast already on board and we can't wait to work with Avalon, in association with Metropolitan Pictures, and RTÉ to take it from script to screen." Meanwhile, Rob Aslett, Executive Producer for Avalon, added: "Stuart's brilliant scripts have created a wildly-original crime drama that shines a light on a modern Ireland and we can't wait to bring this show to life with a fantastic cast led by Ella, Aidan, Philippa and Packy."
Irish Daily Mirror
16 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
'I found David Beckham's wallet, his reply surprised me when I asked for reward'
Basketball icon Shaquille O'Neal once stumbled upon David Beckham's wallet lying on the ground - and joked about charging a massive sum for its return. The two have been friends for years, having met during Beckham's time with the LA Galaxy in Los Angeles, California. Shaq, who previously played for the LA Lakers, recalled that he initially thought about keeping the cash he found, but changed his mind once he realised who the wallet belonged to. "I was walking one day in Beverly Hills and I found a wallet," the 53-year-old recalled during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden. "Usually when I find wallets, I just take all the money out and I just throw them," he joked. "But this was a nice wallet." After noticing Beckham's ID inside, he chose to pull a light-hearted stunt on the football legend by posing as someone who wanted a reward. "First I played a joke," the American said. "I was like, 'I have your wallet, it's going to cost you a million dollars to get it back'. But he knew it was me. [Beckham said] 'Shaq, stop playing'. I was like 'Dave, I found your wallet'. The funny thing is he [Beckham] said, 'There was some money in this wallet, you know what happened?' And I was like, 'Nope.'" Shaq, who ended his basketball career in 2012, is recognised as one of the sport's greatest figures, Mirror UK reports. Towering at 7ft 1in, he secured four NBA titles - three with the Lakers during the Kobe Bryant era and one with the Miami Heat. In 2000, he was honoured as NBA MVP and earned 15 All-Star appearances over a distinguished career that also included stints with the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics. Beckham wrapped up his professional football career a year after O'Neal in 2013, after playing for elite clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, and PSG. He also represented England 115 times and wore the captain's armband for six years. Though now based in the UK with his wife Victoria, Beckham still travels frequently across the Atlantic. He is a part-owner of MLS franchise Inter Miami, who made headlines in 2023 by signing Lionel Messi. For the latest news and breaking news visit Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you. Follow us on Twitter @IrishMirror - the official Irish Mirror Twitter account - real news in real time. We're also on Facebook/irishmirror - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Sunday Mirror and
