A sparkly cap was placed at the front of the coffin of the late dancer, choreographer and talent agent, Julian Benson, as his family and friends gathered for his funeral in Donnybrook this morning.
Benson, who died aged 54 at St Vincent's University Hospital on 18 April, was part of the original judging panel on RTÉ’s Dancing with the Stars.
Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was two years old, Benson defied a prognosis that he would not live beyond his teens. After moving from Adelaide to Ireland, he became a professional dancer at 14 and built a glittering career, complete with his trademark sequined jackets that earned him his nickname, Captain Sparkle.
During the service, Fr Ivan Tonge quipped that only Benson could have upstaged Pope Francis, whose own funeral took place this morning. Fr Tonge praised Benson’s gift for bringing "colour into our lives" and urged mourners to carry forward his spirit of love, hope and joy.
In a moving eulogy, Benson’s younger brother Adrian painted a portrait of the man behind the sparkle: "He was a devoted son, a loyal brother and a caring uncle," he said.
"Behind the glitz, he spread fun, positivity and happiness - whether on television or at our family gatherings, where everyone joined in his creative projects."
Adrian paid tribute to Benson’s courage as a "cystic fibrosis warrior" who "achieved so much in the face of adversity."
He recalled how, in 2018 on The Late Late Show, Julian publicly revealed his condition and announced the founding of the Julian Benson Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, declaring, "I have cystic fibrosis, but cystic fibrosis doesn’t have me."
As seen on an episode of Room to Improve earlier this year, Benson partnered with architect Dermot Bannon to open Tranquility House in Dublin, providing a "home away from home" for patients undergoing treatment at St Vincent’s Hospital.
President Michael D Higgins was represented at the funeral by Captain Chloe McMahon - a gesture Adrian said would have deeply honoured his brother.
As I Could Have Danced All Night played, friends escorted Benson’s coffin to Glasnevin Cemetery, where he will rest beside his mother, Maura.
