Friends, loved ones and admirers are all sending their love to the family of Darren Lacken, the well-known Irish hairstylist to the stars who sadly took his last breath on Wednesday, November 18, 2021.
The news was announced yesterday by Crow Street Collective, the famous Temple Bar salon of which Darren was the director and stylist, in a tribute post on Instagram.
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“It is with broken hearts we are devastated to say our beloved Darren passed away suddenly yesterday,” they wrote, beside a smiling photo of the renowned stylist.
“It is impossible to convey into words how we are feeling right now… He was the heart & soul of our salon, a best friend to each and every one of us and the backbone of our team ? Our hearts are with Mark and all of Darrens family at this tragic time.”
The style director, who was a six-time winner at the Irish Photographic Awards, worked as a hairstylist for twelve years before he established Crow Street Collective alongside his loving partner, Mark Talbot.
Mark also shared a touching post on Facebook. “As they say Tomorrow is not guaranteed,” he wrote. “I had the pleasure of spending 17 yrs with the man everyone in this world loved dearly and he was mine, all mine. He was my rock, he was the only person I would allow to see me cry, he was gorgeous, he was sexy AF. He had the biggest heart any human has ever had.
“He was my Baby! My heart is broken beyond any repair, I have never felt pain like it in my life. All I know is at this moment I have my family and friends and you are all amazing to help me.
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“I want to say a massive thank you to everyone for the messages phone calls and visits. The road ahead Is gonna be a difficult one. Oh and I’m not crying, your crying.”
With loving messages coming in from Darren’s high profile colleagues such as Irish model and influencer Shauna Lindsay, makeup artist Paula Callan and influencer Saf Thompson, Darren was also the subject of a touching post from MPOWER Programme, where he was a dedicated volunteer and LGBTQ+ activist.
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“It’s with a very heavy heart that we’ve learned the tragic news that one of our beloved volunteers, Darren, passed away suddenly yesterday,” they wrote on Instagram.
“Darren exuded kindness and warmth to every service user he met. His friendly and empathetic nature made him a much loved member of the team. In the time that he volunteered with us he made a countless impact on those he supported. We’ll keep Darren, his partner Mark and Darren’s family in our heart and minds during this very difficult time. ?”
The late Darren Lacken has received numerous awards for his work as a hairstylist, including an Irish All-Star silver medal, an Image Magazine Style Award, and A Wella Trend Vision silver medal, and he had some very high profile names on his client list, including Phillip Treacy, Cara Delevingne, the late Isabella Blow and Alexa Chung.
© 2021 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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