THE Irish Times theatre critic and Simplex crossword compiler Gerry Colgan has died, aged 81.
He passed away on Tuesday night in hospital, having been admitted on Monday after a heart attack.
Mr Colgan was a regular theatre-goer for many decades and was very well liked and respected in theatre circles. He was fit and active until the end, and went to the theatre several nights a week.
He had attended theatre productions in Dublin, and many around the country, for several decades, and had wide-ranging theatrical interest, including in musicals.
Typically conscientious to the end, on Monday, from his hospital bed, he asked his son to send his weekly theatre listings for the Ticket into the Irish Timesoffice.
After a spell reviewing for the former Hibernia magazine, he started to review theatre for The Irish Timesin the 1970s and wrote consistently for the paper since then, editing theatre listings for the Ticket supplement since it was first published in 2000.
He compiled the Irish TimesSimplex crossword, on alternate weeks, for several decades.
A former civil servant who worked across a number of departments in information technology, he retired at 65 and continued writing about theatre.
He is survived by his wife Bernie, children Gareth, Ruth, Geraldine, Joan and Kathy, and six grandchildren.
He will arrive from O’Donovan’s funeral home, Sallynoggin, to Monkstown Church this evening at 5.30pm.
His funeral is tomorrow at 10am before burial at Shanganagh Cemetery.
