
Tributes to former Rhyl DJ with 'a heart open to everyone'
Mr Aspinall was an extremely popular figure in the town, having been a DJ at many of the night time venues in the town since the 1970s.
He was also a skilled and respected roofer, and spent more than 40 years in the business, becoming a familiar face across North Wales.
He is survived by wife Paula, his children Helen, Niki, John and Sara, and six grandchildren.
A Gofundme page has been set up to raise money to "help give this amazing man the send off he deserves".
He was described as someone who was "truly the life and soul of every room", and was known for his great sense of humour and "a knack for harmless mischief that brought joy to everyone around him".
The fundraising page, set up by friend Lina Bryan-Rathbone, said of Jimmy Aspinall: "With broken hearts, we share the sudden and unexpected passing of our beloved Jimmy Aspinall, who left us far too soon on the 12th of July 2025, aged 72 in a tragic accident.
"Jimmy was a devoted husband to Paula, a loving and proud dad to Helen, Niki, John, and Sara, a cherished brother to Carl and Patricia (Tish), and a doting grandad to Leon, Eleri, Charlie, Nyla, Jack, and Noah.
"He was also a loyal friend to so many - the kind of friend you could always count on, without question.
"A familiar face across North Wales, Jimmy spent over 40 years as a skilled and respected roofer – not just building roofs, but building friendships, trust, and community.
"He was known for his hard work, honesty, and his willingness to help anyone in need.
"But there was so much more to Jimmy than his trade. Alongside close friends, he co-founded the Whistlestop MCC, a motorbike club that brought together bikers from near and far to celebrate their shared love of riding, while raising money for good causes. Jimmy had a heart full of generosity, always looking for ways to give back, always the first to lend a hand, and always putting others before himself.
"Jimmy left this world doing what he loved most – riding his motorbike. It's a small comfort to know that in his final moments, he was in his element, embracing the freedom of the open road.
"Jimmy was truly the life and soul of every room. He had a sparkle in his eye, a laugh that lit up the air, and a knack for harmless mischief that brought joy to everyone around him.
"He never took life too seriously – instead, he lived it fully, warmly, and with a heart open to everyone. His joy was infectious, his spirit unstoppable.
"Jimmy touched so many lives – through kindness, humour, generosity, and his unwavering dedication to making the world just a little bit brighter. He leaves behind a legacy of love, laughter, and loyalty that will never be forgotten.
"He may be gone from our sight, but he will never be gone from our hearts. We will remember him through the stories we share.
"Forever missed. Forever loved. Ride free, Jimmy - until we meet again."
Phoenix radio Wales said it would broadcast no shows this Sunday out of respect for Jimmy, who it said was a "a great friend, a great bloke" who would be "very missed".
Community fundraiser Richard Kendrick called Jimmy "amazing", and in a tribute said: "The legend Jimmy Aspinall supported my work since 2009. One of Rhyl's original DJs.
"Jimmy was amazing. Always calling and offering help or donations. One of the kindest, funniest men you would ever meet.
"My heart goes out to Paula, the boys and all his grandchildren."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
10 hours ago
- The Sun
Jonny Clayton tells darts rival to ‘eat your words' over stick he gave him when switching from BDO to PDC
JONNY CLAYTON admits he faced backlash from rival Ross Montgomery when he jumped from the BDO to the PDC. 'The Ferret' made the bold move in 2015 after clinching his Tour Card at Q-School – and he hasn't looked back since. 3 3 Welsh thrower Clayton racked up four major titles and 10 ProTour Event wins in his illustrious career. But Clayton says the switch came with plenty of stick and one exchange in particular has stayed with him ever since. He told the Tops and Tales podcast: 'I remember Ross Montgomery turning around and saying, 'I heard you're trying Q-School'. 'I said: 'Yeah'. The s*** he gave me by saying, 'You're swapping codes' and stuff — I thought, well, I've never played Lakeside in the World Championships, I've never done anything like that. 'Me personally, I thought, 'Well, sod off. It's got nothing to do with you, mate. I really don't care what your opinion is. 'I was lucky enough to win my card on the fourth day. 'I think I had to get a semi-final to get a one-year card, if I remember right, but I won the day — so it gave me a two-year card. 'And I've never looked back from there.' Montgomery became a PDC Tour Card holder himself from 2022 through till 2023 and also played on the ill-fated World Seniors winning the World title and Champion of Champions. World No.8 Clayton added: 'Yeah, I didn't like it. Considering that he's jumped over to the PDC now anyway… whatever he told me back in the day — sorry Ross boy, but you should eat your words. Former world darts champion Michael Smith fears he needs major surgery 'But, you know, we were there because I'm big friends with Alan Soutar, and it was just a decision that I made.' Clayton insists he has nothing but respect for the BDO and the roots of the game. He revealed: 'No, I've never slagged the BDO off. 'That's where most of us as players started, and I really enjoyed my time there. 3 'I'd never, ever slag it off because we had good fun. They were a great bunch of people. 'But it was getting to that time where, if I was going to give it a go, I had to do it. 'I think I was Welsh No.1 on averages at the time, so I thought, right — give it a go.'


BBC News
11 hours ago
- BBC News
Bear Grylls helps people rebuild relationships in new series Wild Reckoning
BBC Daytime and BBC Cymru Wales have co-commissioned Wild Reckoning, a new 16-part series from Wrexham-based Tŷ'r Ddraig, part of Banijay UK's Workerbee Group, fronted by Bear Grylls for BBC One and iPlayer. The series will see Bear Grylls and a team of experts help people to resolve deep personal rifts in the Welsh wilderness. Bear, alongside his team of mediators, psychologists and survival mentors, will guide participants through intense emotional journeys — combining conflict resolution with the raw, revealing power of nature. Expect to see feuding families and broken friendships to neighbour disputes and long-standing workplace grudges, this series will tackle some everyday problems and challenges faced by anyone and everyone. From his island home off the North Wales coast, Bear will strip contributors of their everyday comforts and set them on a transformative adventure in the Welsh wilderness. Here, through carefully constructed physical and psychological challenges, they'll be forced to confront their issues and work together to rebuild their fractured relationships. Bear Grylls says: 'I've spent a lifetime learning from the wild and above all I believe in its power to heal. Away from the noise and distractions of daily life, we're giving people the chance to reflect, reconnect, and rebuild. But nothing comes for free. The price is often courage to face the scary, and the humility to walk side by side respectfully with others. Wild Reckoning is a rare opportunity to help those in emotional conflict to face their differences with courage, and hopefully come through stronger, together. I'm proud to host it in North Wales, a place that truly means so much to me.' Ben Smith, Creative Director for Tŷ'r Ddraig, adds: 'This is an ambitious new format played out across the spectacular scenery of North Wales. We can't wait to bring some of the remarkable stories and people we've been talking with to screen on the BBC. It is our greatest hope that we can help to heal rifts and help the people who have come forward. We're also delighted to have Bear and our team of amazing experts lead this project.' Alex McLeod Commissioning Editor for BBC Daytime comments: 'This is a bold and emotionally charged series that uses the raw power of nature to help people confront what's really at stake in their relationships. In stepping away from the constant noise of our fast-paced, digital lives, participants are given the rare chance to reflect, reconnect and reset. With Bear Grylls and his expert team guiding them through intense physical and emotional challenges, the series offers a unique and powerful route to reconciliation. It's about real people, real issues – and the transformative power of the wild.' Julian Carey, Commissioning Editor for BBC Cymru Wales, says: "We are incredibly excited to be working with Bear and his team on such an important new series, one that showcases the dramatic and awe-inspiring Welsh landscape to such positive effect. Seeing Bear in his own "back-yard" working to affect change in people's lives, while also passing on skills and insights that can help all of us, feels very timely and refreshing - and we can't wait for audiences to see it." Wild Reckoning has been co-commissioned for BBC One, BBC One Wales and iPlayer by Rob Unsworth, Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak Commissioning and Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning at BBC Cymru Wales, Alex McLeod is BBC Daytime's Commissioning Editor and Julian Carey is the Commissioning Editor for BBC Cymru Wales. The series is a Co-Production between Tŷ'r Ddraig and Natural Studios Productions Limited for the BBC. The executive producers are Ben Smith and Ben Mitchell. HD3 Follow for more


The Sun
17 hours ago
- The Sun
Love Island's Emily confirms romance with former villa runner-up as they're go on double date with Harrison and Lauren
LOVE Island's Emily has finally confirmed her romance with a former villa runner-up, after they were spotted on a double date with Harrison Solomon and Lauren Wood. The Sun was the first to report that these two former Islanders, who appeared on different series', had become close. 9 9 9 Last month we revealed how Welsh Love Island stars Emily, 24, and Ciaran Davies, 22, had been chatting to each other. Emily appeared on this year's show, while Ciaran became famous in the villa last year. But after of weeks of speculation, they have finally revealed they are a couple. The pair looked smitten with each other as they stepped out in Manchester. At one point, Ciaran put his arm sweetly around Emily, to show they were very much together. The new couple looked happy and relaxed to be in each others company. They were joined on their double date by Emily's Love Island 2025 co-stars, Harrison and Lauren. They also put on a loved-up display, as Harrison was seen pulling his girlfriend in for a kiss. The couple have been plagued by split rumours, which they are keen to shut down. CLUES THEY WERE DATING Earlier this month, eagle-eyed fans spotted a clues that Emily and Ciaran could be more than friends. Love Island viewers stunned as Ciaran makes huge statement about his romance with Nicole Fans took to Reddit to discuss a possible budding romance between the pair. It came after they both posted a similar photo from the same bar in Cardiff - just one hour apart. The pair were both at Golf Fang in the city centre on August 11. Ciaran posted his picture - which features a bright pink Barbie style car - at around 9pm, and then Emily posted an almost identical picture at 10pm. 9 9 Discussing this, one fan wrote: "Definitely not a coincidence!" This one said: "I feel like this is a perfect pairing." A third said: "These two photos are such a giveaway!" While another added: "We know Ciaran loves his Welsh girls." BECOMING A COUPLE Emily, who hails from Aberdare in Wales was dumped from the villa after Tommy Bradley brought back blonde bombshell Lucy from Casa Amor. While, Ciaran, who is also from Wales, was coupled up with Nicole Samuel in last year's series, with the pair parting ways a few months after the final. The Sun previously revealed that there was a spark between the pair, after they connected when Emily was brutally dumped from the villa. A source exclusively told us at the time: "Ciaran initially approached Emily when she left the show just to congratulate her and stuff on how she was and handled herself on the show towards the end, which got them to talking. 9 9 "Both have been getting to know each other on a more romantic level and they're looking to see how things go." The source added how at the moment since coming out of the villa, Emily is "taking every opportunity she can" especially with brand deals. They noted that Ciaran "is absolutely fine" with her focusing on getting brand deals and making a name for herself "because that's what everyone does when they get out". The source continued: "Emily has no intention of moving back to Australia as of yet as she's focused on her work and recent brand deals here in the UK. "But maybe who's to say that something romantically might also sway her decision to stay in the UK. "Apparently she has something big on the horizon with some brand." Love Island winners - where they are now EVERY year Love Island opens its doors to more sexy Islanders who are hoping for a holiday romance that could turn into more. Here we take you through all of the Love Island winners so far and what their relationship statuses are now: 2025 - The summer series of Love Island saw Toni Laites and Cach Mercer win the ITV2 reality show. STATUS: Still together. 2025 - The second series of All Stars saw Gabby Allen and Case O'Gorman scoop the crown. STATUS: Broken up. 2024 - The summer Love Island saw Mimii Ngulube and Josh Oyinsan were crowned the winners. STATUS: Broken up. 2024 - The first ever All stars spin off show was won by Molly Smith and Tom Clare. STATUS: Still together. 2023 - Jess Harding and Sammy Root took home the 50k, and won the summer 2023 Love Island. STATUS: Broken up. 2023 - The first series of 2023 saw Sanam Harrinanan and Kai Fagan crowned Love Island winners in South Africa. STATUS: Still together. 2022 - Davide Sanclimenti and Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu's time in the villa was anything but a smooth ride, but they managed to win the public's hearts - and the ITV2 reality show. STATUS: Broken up. 2021 - Liam Reardon and Millie Court were announced winners of Love Island 2021. STATUS: Still together. 2020 - The first ever winter Love Island saw Paige Turley and Finn Tapp crowned winners after falling in love on the show. STATUS: Broken up. 2019 - Series 5 saw Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague runners up to winners Greg O'Shea and Amber Gill, who met in the last few days of the series. STATUS: Broken up. 2018 - It wasn't surprising fan favourites Jack Fincham and Dani Dyer won the show, as they were strong throughout. But sadly things didn't last. STATUS: Broken up. 2017 - Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies had lots of ups and downs in the villa but went on to win. STATUS: Broken up. 2016 - Nathan Massey and Cara De La Hoyde were together from the start of the series, and since they won the show they've had two kids and are married. STATUS: Still together. 2015 - Despite poor Jess Hayes being Max Morley's second choice on the show, they did win - but they didn't last as a couple. STATUS: Broken up.