Obituary: Doogie Paul, musician

Tributes have been paid to, talented Scots musician Doogie Paul, who has died in his early 40s following a battle with cancer.

Doogie Paul played double bass with award-winning folk outfit James Yorkston and the Athletes. He died at an Edinburgh hospice following a relapse in his condition on Saturday morning and will be laid to rest at Mortonhall crematorium in Edinburgh on Tuesday 13th November at noon.

Doogie, who was from Edinburgh, fought off the disease for the past two years. He had been responding well to treatment but in the last week, his health quickly deteriorated.

Friends and fans of the band are organising gatherings in Edinburgh and London to celebrate the musician’s life. All the proceeds from these events will go to the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity.

“It’s a sad weekend,” said singer, songwriter, and close friend of Doogie’s, James Yorkson. “Doogie had played double bass with me since 2001 and we’d toured all over together, playing hundreds of shows and recording five albums and numerous other things.”

Yorkson went on to say Doogie had first been diagnosed a couple of years ago. He had, nevertheless, appeared to have responded to treatment and was well enough to have played the Moving Up Country tenth Anniversary show earlier this year.Sadly, this turned out to be the last time that Doogie played with James Yorkston and the Athletes.

In the last few weeks friends say his health deteriorated very rapidly.

“I won’t pretend he was perfect, no-one is,” Yorkson added.

“But he was a real individual, taking his own path, and I’ll miss him a great, great deal.”

Hundreds of the band’s fans have also left poignant messages on a tribute Facebook page over the past few days.

Doogie had been battling the disease for some time. He had, however, failed to tell any of his friends and family how bad things had become, to spare them any pain. He was admitted to a Marie Curie hospice last week. He didn’t stay long, however, quickly discharging himself to be at home.

But friends then persuaded the bass player to re-enter the Edinburgh hospice after his health got dramatically worse in the last couple of days.

Fellow band member Reuben Taylor said he saw Doogie quite a bit in the last couple months of his life. Though the cancer had returned, Doogie was always talking about what treatment would come next, what his options were and how he was going to beat the cancer.

“He was always so positive,” Taylor said. “I knew Doogie for longer than I care to remember, and I will remember him as a great musician.

“I don’t know if I will ever have another friend who cared so much about his friends. I miss him a lot.”