JANUARY 10, 1995 – Rory Gallagher (b. March 2, 1948 in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland) played his last concert in the Netherlands. In the later years of his life Gallagher developed a phobia of flying. To overcome this he received a prescription for a powerful sedative. This medication, combined with his alcohol use resulted in severe liver damage. Despite this he continued touring. By the time of his final performance, he was visibly ill and the tour had to be cancelled. Gallagher was admitted to King’s College Hospital in London in March 1995, and it was only then that the extent of his ill-health became apparent: his liver was failing and the doctors determined that in spite of his young age a liver transplant was the only possible course of action. After 13 weeks in intensive care, while waiting to be transferred to a convalescent home, his health suddenly worsened when he contracted a staphylococcal (MRSA) infection, and he died on June 14, 1995, at the age of 47. He was unmarried and had no children. He was buried in St. Oliver’s Cemetery, on the Clash Road just outside Ballincollig near Cork City, Ireland. His headstone is a replica of an award he received in 1972 for International Guitarist of the Year.
