‘You were my best friend’ – Dad of Kilkenny teen killed in tragic accident pays tribute to his son

Luke Crosbie, from Freshford in Co Kilkenny, passed away after a tragic accident on Thursday afternoon, June 27.

Gardaí and emergency services were alerted to the scene of the accident in Freshford, however Luke sadly died at the scene shortly afterwards.

Crowds gathered in Clontubrid Church in Kilkenny today wearing colourful clothes in tribute to a young man who brought so much “light” to the lives of the people around him.

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“Luke was always there for his family,” said Luke’s heartbroken dad, Nigel, as his voice cracked with emotion. “He was a true gentleman. Luke was one man you could really rely on. He was always there for us.

“Luke was a huge part of our daily lives. From wrestling his brothers to withholding information from his sister Zoe when she called from Australia. The call would be less than a minute as nothing was ever spilled,” chuckled Nigel.

“For me, you were my best friend. You minded me, you helped me. We had fun together and we went everywhere together. Both myself and your mother were so proud of the man you were becoming.

“You might be gone but you’ll never be forgotten”.

Since the news of Luke’s sudden death broke, tributes have poured in for a young man who was a much-loved member of the local community.

“The whole village, parish and surrounding area is in deep shock. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. The family are a very well-known, popular family in the area,” said Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Michael McCarthy.

“It is tragic, the shock in the village is just so great. Something like this is just too bad and as I said our thoughts and prayers are with his family and they need these thoughts and prayers to help them get through this incredibly difficult time.

“At the moment they need privacy to grieve, but when the time is right they will receive a great level of support from the locals. The Freshford community is good like that.”

One mourner on RIP.ie wrote: “Luke was the most effortlessly funny person I have ever met. I remember when I was in school I would always wait for him after school to walk home with me from the bus. Luke was just so lovely, he was like a teddy bear. I just know that there isn’t a bad word in the whole world that you could use to describe him. He was literally a living angel.

“He will be dearly missed but definitely never forgotten. I offer my sincere condolences to his amazing parents, Kathleen and Nigel, his two older brothers, Hakim and Jack, and his older sister, Zoe. He will live forever in your hearts.”

Another mourner added: “Luke was a bright lad who never had a bad word to say about anyone he was one of the funniest and most talented people I have met. I only knew him as a teammate but he was an uplifting person and a bright person.”

As Luke’s coffin was carried out of the church, his favourite song, ‘All The Stars’, was played from the speakers as his family danced to the music in memory of Luke.

Luke has left behind his heartbroken parents, Kathleen and Nigel, his brothers Hakim and Jack, sister Zoe, grandparents Liam and Siobhan (Crosbie) and Joe (Crosby), aunts and uncles, cousins, relatives and friends.