Didgeridoo specialist Alan Dargin has died at the age of 40 from a cerebral haemorrhage following a stroke. Taught to play the instrument by his grandfather at the age of five, Dargin released a number of albums, and will be remembered for his blending of didgeridoo with Celtic instruments and rock sounds. He was once quoted as saying: "In light of the recent unearthing of an old Irish brass instrument that can be played like a didgeridoo, I find the didgeridoo quite interesting and musically compatible with the Celtic harp, penny-whistle and the bodhran".
Over the years, he collaborated with a diverse number of fellow musicians, including rockers Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, jazz stars Don Burrows and James Morrison, and the Vienna Philharmonic and London Symphony orchestras. He also took work as an actor, his most high profile appearance being a cross-dressing role in Priscilla Queen Of The Desert. His final recording, 'MRD', is due to be released in April.
Fellow performer Charlie McMahon says of his former colleague: "He had an original and compelling style. He toured around the world, and stirred up a lot of interest in the US, China and Europe in Australia indigenous culture."