ARIA Award-winning Torres Strait Island musician Seaman Dan dies at 91
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JanJanuary 2021 at 6:28am
Henry Gibson, better known as Uncle Seaman Dan, continued to play live well into his eighties.
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A pearl of northern Australia s music scene, Henry Gibson Seaman Dan, has died at 91, his family has confirmed.
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains images of a person who has died. Permission has been granted by the subject s family to use the image of the deceased person.
An ARIA award-winning musician and National Indigenous Music Awards Hall of Fame entrant, the Torres Strait Island singer and guitarist was best known for his albums of sweet, seaside ballads.
Of Melanesian, Polynesian and African-American heritage, Henry Gibson Dan was popularly known as Seaman Dan.
His youngest daughter confirmed the death of her father at the age of 91, writing on Facebook that she is very saddened by this news . My father will always be my hero, for he turned a bad situation into good.
Seaman Dan s daughter says she will always remember her father s positive outlook on life.
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The musician released his first album at the age of 70 after decades of performing live gigs.
His music combined the genres of blues, hula and jazz with the traditional music of Torres Strait Islander culture.