Watching the statue of Christie Hennessey, the popular Irish singer, being unveiled by Christy Moore, another Irish musical giant, in Tralee in late October brought into sharp focus the losses the world suffers as a result of deaths caused by the deadly mineral, asbestos.
Christie’s untimely death, at the age of 62, was the result of contracting the asbestos related cancer, mesothelioma. It was a cruel blow to his family. Gill, his wife, lost her life partner and his children Hermione, Amber and Chris lost not just a father, but a mentor and guru as they all have followed him into musical careers.
It was also a massive loss to the world of music. After a few years of music taking a back seat in his life Christie was having a renaissance in his career, with new album releases and a sell out tour of Ireland in early 2007. Dave Pennefather, Chairman of Universal Island, said of Christie, “I believe that if Christie had still been alive he would have been on the crest of a wave at the moment.”
Christie, a son of Tralee, battled against huge odds to have a successful music career. Severely dyslexic he left school at the age of 11 and has never been able to read and write. He came to England when he was only 15 and started to work as a painter and decorator on various building sites around London, which he did to support himself and his family throughout most of his working life. Preparing surfaces to be painted at factories and housing estates, including those owned by the Greater London Council, exposed him to the deadly dust asbestos which was later to be the agent of his death. But his first love was always music and at night he would play in clubs and bars all over the country. Hermione, his oldest daughter, described him coming on a freight train to start work early in the morning, after only a few hours sleep, if he was lucky.
The 6 months before Christie found out the tragic news of his illness was the most exciting of his musical career. He had been able to stop work as a painter and decorator and rely on the income from his huge musical talent. He had a sell out tour and a larger one planned for later in 2007. He had travelled to Africa as a patron of the charity he unceasingly supported “Children in Crossfire” and had released a single to support the work of the charity set up by Richard Moore which supports children caught in war zones. He had shared a stage with the Dalai Lama at the “Children in Crossfire” Conference. New albums were in the pipeline, a new record deal with Universal who had sought him out. And there were new departures, a musical play due to be staged in Dublin with interest in the screenplay from Scott Franklin who produced Requiem for a Dream and the latest Mickey Rourke film, The Wrestler.
I met Christie just a few months before his death and it will be one of my greatest regrets that I never saw him live. His performances, that I have read about, certainly mark him out as an extraordinary performer. He was also an extraordinary man, probably one of the most inspirational I have ever met. Without fail when I was talking to all his family, friends and colleagues they all felt his influence in their lives. Christy Moore the world famous Irish singer, said of Christie: “I first met Christie in the late 60s / early 70s. Around that time he had released his first album which I listened to and loved. I learned two songs from the album, “Messenger Boy” and “Don’t Forget Your Shovel”. I was very impressed with the unique style of his delivery, song writing and the spiritual nature of his work and recorded “Don’t Forget Your Shovel”. This song provided a turning point in my own career and I have always attributed this to Christie. It was his song that gave me my first chart success in Ireland and lead to my subsequent and ongoing success as a concert artist in Ireland and around the world.
There are so many tragedies when a person dies from mesothelioma, families robbed of their father, mother, grandparent and even their daughters and sons before their time, the struggle to come to terms with the fact that this early death is caused by work and the very nature of the illness, always results in a person struggling for breath, in extreme pain. Here it is not just the personal tragedy but the huge talent that has been lost to the world. As Hermione says “I can’t tell you how many people who said when they found out that Christie had terminal cancer ‘Hermione not him. Not Christie. Not that amazing man. We can’t lose him. Is there no justice? His fans will be devastated”
We should not be losing anybody to this cruel and painful disease that is caused by people going to work. There is no cure for mesothelioma. There are palliative treatments and surgery, such as chemotherapy and cordotomy but they often produce little improvement of the quality of life for the patient and have their own side effects. Stories such as Christie’s convince me that it is essential that there is more government funding for research into this terrible disease and that the National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases, pioneered by John Edwards, should become a reality.
Gill Ross put aside her grief and bravely fought her battle against Christie’s former employers to obtain substantial compensation that reflected her argument that he would have gone to even greater success in his musical career. But of course she would rather have Christie than any sum of money. The last words go to her… “I met Christie when I was just 18 and we were married when I was 20. He was the love of my life, we shared everything, laughter, children, tragedies, and triumphs. We lost him just when we were all about to have the best of him. Nobody should have to go through the pain and loss that we have endured because of inhaling dust at work. Research into this disease is essential to stop more families having to suffer seeing the one they love die a painful and distressing death.”