Liquid’s Eamon Downes dies following five-year cancer battle
Eamon Downes, a member of the UK rave group Liquid, has died following a five-year battle with cancer.
The DJ, who also went by the professional name Ame, had been suffering from a brain tumour, his friend and producer Billy Daniel Bunter revealed when he shared the news of Downes’ passing on July 21st.
Writing on Instagram, Bunter said: “It’s with heartbreaking sadness that I’m letting the world know we’ve lost Eamon Downes, devoted husband to Stella, proud dad to Bea, and one of my closest friends ever. This one really hurts.”
Liquid was formed in the early 1990s, with Downes pairing up with Shane Heneghan, otherwise known as DJ Model, and going on to hugely increase the popularity of rave music in the UK throughout the decade.
Their most successful track, ‘Sweet Harmony’, was released in 1991 after Liquid were signed to XL Recordings. The duo eventually parted ways after a few years, but Downes had continued releasing music for over three decades afterwards.
Reminiscing on these memories, Bunter added: “We started out in a record shop in ’89, before I was DJing. Before ‘Sweet Harmony’. From curry and chips in Stepney, to Labrynth, to him dropping me at Kings Cross chewing my lips off, some of the best memories of my life with Eamon.”
In relation to Downes’ illness, the DJ also shared: “He fought so hard the last five years. I’m thankful me and Sonya got to visit, to laugh, to sit with him, to just be together. I’m thankful he got our message before he passed, his family said he waited for it.”
Downes’ record label, XL Recordings, also paid tribute on Instagram by saying: “Long live Eamon Downes of Liquid,” before adding, “Eamon helped define the sound of 90s rave and beyond. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and everyone touched by his music.”
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