Son’s tribute to Van Morrison superfan dad who died after concert

Representatives of Sir Van Morrison and Belfast’s Europa Hotel have invited the son of a fan who died after one of his concerts to be a guest at another show at the hotel next month.

Norman Sheppard (72), from Derry, died in hospital in Belfast four days after falling ill during dinner just before Morrison’s gig last week.

His son Barnaby said: “Dad’s death still hasn’t sunk in yet. He was more than my father, he was my best friend.”

He added that his father loved Morrison’s music, had all his albums and didn’t miss any of his concerts if they were accessible to him.

The superfan told a BBC documentary earlier this year that he had seen Morrison roughly 500 times in Ireland and farther afield, and that he was devastated concerts in the Europa had been cancelled at the last minute because of Covid restrictions.

Barnaby said his father had been at the first of his hero’s concerts in the Europa last Sunday night and was looking forward to the second gig the following evening.

“I was speaking to him on the phone just before he went into the Europa and he was in brilliant form,” said Barnaby.

“He always travelled back home on one of the late buses to Londonderry and he always phoned me to let me know where he was.

“However, on Monday I didn’t hear anything and I went to the stop to meet the bus, but he wasn’t on it. And it was the same story with the next and final bus of the night.

“I was phoning and phoning but there was no answer and I thought that this wasn’t right. Then a while later I got a call from a woman who said that dad was in hospital.

“She said they’d got him stable but he was in a bad way and a doctor later warned me he might not get through the night.”

Mr Sheppard was put on a ventilator but was taken off it four days later and he passed away.

Barnaby added: “It’s been heartbreaking for us and for all the other Van fans from his group of so-called Vanatics who knew my dad and who have been in touch. Dad really was a fanatic. As soon as he heard news of another concert being announced, he was straight on to get his tickets.

“He’d bought tickets for the upcoming shows in January and I’ve been invited to take his place as a special guest.

“I appreciate the gesture and the expressions of sympathy passed on to me from Van Morrison’s people through the Hastings Hotel Group.

“However, I think it might be too emotionally difficult, a bit too soon for me to go though. I’ll make my mind up nearer the time.”

Barnaby said his father was fascinated by Morrison’s music and his ability to change up his shows, adding: “He said no two concerts were ever the same and if a series of gigs were happening on successive nights dad would always be there.

“At Van’s 70th birthday gigs, which took place on the same day in Cyprus Avenue, dad was at both shows and he took me as well.

“He also got us front-row seats for a recent concert in the Millennium Forum not far from the Fountain estate where he was born.”

Mr Sheppard, whose other major passion in life was Tottenham Hotspur, spent many years working as a chef in England before returning to Northern Ireland about 30 years ago.

Barnaby said his father’s love affair with Morrison’s music started after he heard his album Astral Weeks, which was released in 1968.

He said: “Dad thought it was the greatest LP ever, but he enjoyed lots of other music too. He was a collector of records, many of them vinyl discs that are still in mint condition.”

Barnaby recalled that he didn’t think his father had ever met Van Morrison but added: “He told me he once saw him outside a gig at the Royal Albert Hall in London and tried to get as close as possible to him to see if he was taller than him.”

Barnaby said he was grateful to all the medical teams who went to the Europa to help his father, who had a stroke six years ago.

“I was his carer and he made a good recovery,” he said.

“He’d got back to driving again, but in the past year he had gone downhill a bit.

“He was struggling to get about, but you couldn’t stop him, he was so determined to do what he wanted to do.”

Mr Sheppard’s funeral will take place tomorrow at Derry’s Adair and Neely Funeral Home in Duke Street at 12pm.

Representatives of the Hastings Hotel Group will be among the mourners to pay their respects to Norman and his family.

Barnaby said he was still agonising over whether or not to play any Morrison songs during the service.

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