TRIBUTES were pouring in last night to Scottish writer and broadcasting personality Cliff Hanley, who died yesterday aged 76.
The prolific journalist, novelist, and songwriter nicknamed ''Wee Cliff'' was well-known for his sharp observations on Scottish life.
Born and raised in Glasgow's East End, he was the man who put lyrics to an old Highland pipe tune, resulting in that ''other'' national anthem Scotland the Brave. He had been asked by the late Robert Wilson, the Scottish tenor, to write the words.
Hanley was familiar as a television personality as well as for his books on Glasgow life and his colourful newspaper articles.
His last three years were spent in a nursing-home in Glasgow's Knightswood. He leaves a son Clifford, 50, and daughters Jane, 48, and Joanna, 41.
His wife Anna died in 1990.
Last night, his daughter Jane, a stage manager, said that her mother ''died very suddenly of heart failure and my dad seemed to lose his spirit after that.
''They were married for 42 years and as close as a couple could be.''
She added: ''Our childhood was eventful to say the least. My dad didn't have a nine to five job like everyone else.
''I remember being jealous when my brother got to meet the cowboy star Roy Rogers, and when I was about four being cuddled by American singer Howard Keel.
''We were always at the theatre and meeting famous people but to us it was just normal life. My father was a unique character and will be missed by many.''
Writer and broadcaster Jimmy Reid described Hanley as a warm-hearted, ebullient man with a passion for music.
''He was a self-educated working class man, well read, with a love for books and, especially, jazz music. Nothing ever seemed to get him down, he was great company.''
Actress and comedienne Una McLean recalled a ''wee man with a big heart''.
She said: ''I got to know Cliff and Anna well. I remember him joking to me me about their honeymoon, heading to somewhere in Argyll side by side on a freezing bus.''
Actor Russell Hunter said: ''It is so sad that another of Glasgow's great characters has gone. I remember Cliff as a man who would joke about his small stature to get a laugh. He was wonderful company who liked nothing better than a drink with friends.''
Comedian Rikki Fulton said: ''Losing Cliff is a blow to Scottish culture. He was an incredibly funny, interesting man who was immediately likeable. I remember how delighted he was when his first book Dancing in the Streets was published.''
Obituary Page 18
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article