DJ Dave Fanning has apologised for controversial comments he made about Christy Dignam last week, saying he "really didn’t intend to come across that way".
During a radio segment remembering the late Aslan star on Claire Byrne's RTE Radio One show, the Irish rock DJ said that that even though this is a “time for eulogising” the Finglas singer “blew it”.
"He blew it royally and he would say later on that, you know, 'because of that I was abused at the age of six by a neighbour, and this whole of my life for ages so I filled it not by trying to get high with heroin, but just by filling it with heroin to keep myself away from the memory of it," he said.
“I remember saying to him, ‘Are you sure about that now Christy? Are you sure you're not trying to pull the wool over my eyes?’
Read more: Dave Fanning slammed for 'inappropriate' Christy Dignam comments in RTE radio segment
“So look, you can look at it that way, if you like, that's what I'm saying. Basically, what I'm saying is you have two things about people who go on heroin, get rid of them are doing the best you can with them."
Fanning apologised for the comments on Twitter this afternoon, saying they were "incredibly ill-timed and poor taste."
"I listened back to my bit on the radio about Christy Dignam feeling that it wasn’t perhaps as bad as some comments have made out," he wrote. "Comments were right, I was wrong - it was bad.
"I was trying to highlight some deeper issues in Ireland during the eighties and I totally missed the mark. Incredibly ill-timed and poor taste.
"I really didn’t intend to come across that way. Christy was honestly one of the nicest and most genuine people I met in the music business, as are all of Aslan, and I have said that many times down through the years.
"I particularly want to apologise to his family. Christy was ALWAYS a gentleman who deserves better than that from me."
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