Irish folk singer Clancy dead at 74

CORK, Ireland, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Irish folk singer Liam Clancy, called the "best ballad singer I'd ever heard in my life" by singer Bob Dylan, is dead at the age of 74, his manager said.

Clancy's manager, David Teevan, said the singer endured a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis, which he spoke candidly about in May at Dublin's National Concert Hall, the Irish Times reported.

"It was a very profound moment. He expressed his fear of dying, but he did it with great dignity," Teevan said of Clancy's last performance.

Clancy began his singing career in New York along with his brothers Paddy and Tom and the Clancy Brothers earned a 1961 guest spot on the "Ed Sullivan Show."

Irish Minister for Arts Martin Cullen tabbed Clancy as "an example of an absolutely dedicated artistic craftsman."

Clancy, who died Friday in Cork, Ireland, is survived by his wife, two sons, two daughters and eight grandchildren.