Tributes as sax player and singer Paddy Cole dies, aged 85 [Video]

IRISH SINGER AND sax player Paddy Cole has died, aged 85.

The Co Monaghan native was a showband veteran, joining his first band at the age of 15 before moving onto the Capitol Showband in the 1960s.

The ‘King of the Swingers’ had a lengthy career in broadcasting, hosting a weekly music programme on Sunshine Radio, often playing many of the same music he performed live.

Cole played in many showbands throughout the 1960s into the early 2020s as a solo act. He published his memoirs, ‘King of the Swingers’, in 2020.

Cole was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2022. He continued to host his radio programme and recently told The Sunday World that he was under the care of a hospice.

He was a frequent performer on RTÉ television and on stages around the country, playing a range of pop, country, swing, jazz and Dixieland – a style …