Bryan Ferry plays first Dublin gig since death of ex wife Lucy Birley

Byran Ferry put on a brave face as he made his first public appearance since the death of his ex wife Lucy Birley tonight.

The 72-year-old singer played a 90-minute open air set at Dublin’s Trinity College just five days after his ex wife is thought to have killed herself in Ireland.

The former model was found dead apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Monday. She had been struggling with depression.

Birley had been a source of inspiration to Ferry when they were together and fans had speculated on social media that he would dedicate a song to her at the gig.

However the singer who opened the show in front of 6,000 fans with his hit song, Slave to Love, made no reference to his ex wife during the performance.

In fact, he hardly addressed the crowd at all except to say it was ‘great’ to be back in Dublin.

He finished the gig with a soulful rendition of ‘jealous guy’ to a rapturous response from the rain drenched crowd.

Birley had been on holiday in Ireland at her brother’s upmarket guesthouse in County Clare when she was found dead.

Family members were reported to have travelled to Ireland earlier this week to assist with repatriating her remains.

Ireland had loomed large in hers and Ferry’s early courtship. Birley’s father, Patrick Helmore who also died tragically in Ireland, had a fishing lodge in Connemara where the couple were regular visitors.

Ferry wrote much of Roxy Music’s eighth and album final and Avalon while staying there and Birley features on the cover.

Patrick Helmore died in a fire at the lodge in 1997.

Ferry, who was married to the former model and society heiress from 1982 until their divorce in 2003 and had four sons with her. 

Bryan Ferry is pictured with his ex-wife Lucy Birley in London’s Hyde Park in 1995