Irish actor Gary Lydon has passed away suddenly at the age of 61, it has been announced. Tributes have poured in for the star, who appeared in three Oscar-nominated movies as well as stage and small screen roles throughout his long and distinguished career.
A Career Remembered
Lydon may be best known outside his native Ireland for playing Garda Peadar Kearney, the father of Barry Keoghan's character in the 2022 film The Banshees of Inisherin. After the news of his untimely death broke, colleagues and fans were quick to pay tribute, branding him 'one of the finest actors in Ireland'.
Taking to X, they shared their condolences: 'So sad, so young'; 'Condolences to his family. Great actor. Rest in peace'; 'That's sad news, he was very reliable and popped up so often'; 'Oh that's sad to hear. Condolences to his family. God rest him'; 'That's very sad. Sorry to hear that. Rest in peace Gary'.
In addition to roles in Steven Spielberg's War Horse and Brooklyn opposite Saoirse Ronan, Lydon played Patrick Murray in RTE's medical drama The Clinic, which earned him an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Early Life and Background
Born in London in 1964, at the age of nine he moved to his father Jimmy O'Brien's native Wexford. He later appeared in many works by Wexford playwright Billy Roche. The Wexford Film Society issued a statement: 'Shocking news this morning that actor Gary Lydon has died suddenly at the age of 61. Gary, who starred in three Best Picture Oscar nominated films — The Banshees of Inisherin, Brooklyn and Spielberg's War Horse — received our Fellowship award in 2014.'
'We've screened a number of his films over the years, the most recent one being Lakelands in 2024. Only a few weeks ago he told us about a couple of films he's completed, The Sandy Banks and One Sweet Hour, where he has the lead role of an aging Elvis impersonator. At least we'll have those to look forward to. Our deepest condolences go to his family and many friends. Rest in peace Gary.'
Related News: Barry Keoghan Interview Controversy
This news comes after Barry Keoghan's fans lambasted Benny Blanco over a 'tone deaf' interview with the Irish actor. Barry, 33, opened up about his battle with drugs, his mother's fatal overdose and his own near-death experience during a candid chat on Benny's podcast, Friends Keep Secrets.
An Instagram reel promoting the episode was cut together in rapid form, distorting Barry's voice for comic effect, and ending with an upbeat Benny laughing and saying 'wow, let's go outside and talk about something fun!' The clip began with Benny asking: 'Did you used to do drugs?' to which Barry replied: 'Yeah, yeah, that's why I'm clean now... 2.5 years. On paper, my mum died at 32 from [heroin] and my dad passed away. But the curiosity of still wanting to do this for me, it took me three attempts of rehab.'
The clip then cut to Barry saying: 'I technically did die for a few seconds', as co-host Lil Dicky asked: 'Did you have, like a moment of post-death vision?' At this point, the clip distorted and dream sequence music began to play as Barry explained that he had a vision of a blonde woman walking away from him as he tried to catch up with her. Barry's voice was then distorted as he continued: 'And on this side there was loads of lads stabbing me. I was holding onto them and they were trying to push me over to this side and I was begging them that I could stay. I was like, please let me stay, and they were like, alright, let them stay.'
The music cut off and the camera panned to Benny saying: 'wow, let's go outside and talk about something fun' before laughing with Lil Dicky. Taking to the comment section, fans were left in shock, writing: 'This clip really is a disservice to the story Barry was telling in the episode. This “reel-ifying” everything for the sake of “content” is really kind of depressing.'; 'Let's not try to change the subject when things get personal. What he's talking about is way bigger than any joke or quick laugh.'; 'Maybe next time let's validate someone when they choose to be vulnerable… especially when men decide to be vulnerable.'; 'Just a sprinkle of toxic positivity to keep the vibe right.'; 'I thought I could never hate Benny, but this one was hard.'; 'Ffs. Tone deaf. Some people really have no idea how hard it is to overcome addiction.'
