John Byrne: Scottish artist and playwright dies aged 83

The Fine Art Society in Edinburgh said John Byrne had died “peacefully” on Thursday – he was 83

Scottish playwright and artist John Byrne has died at the age of 83.

In a statement, the Fine Art Society in Edinburgh said Byrne died "peacefully" on Thursday with his wife Jeanine by his side.

The Paisley-born artist was renowned for writing The Slab Boys Trilogy – plays which explore working-class life in Scotland -as well as the TV dramas Tutti Frutti and Your Cheatin' Heart.

Scots artist and playwright John Byrne has died

The statement from the Fine Art Society said: “We will miss him tremendously. Our thoughts are with his family.

“John was one of the most inventive and versatile of all Scotland’s modern artists. As well as being a technically masterful painter, he was a designer of theatre sets and album covers and one of the most notable playwrights of his generation.

"The Slab Boys (1978) and Tutti Frutti (1981) were landmarks of theatre and TV. He designed record covers for Donovan, The Beatles, Gerry Rafferty and Billy Connolly. His work is held in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art and the Kelvingrove Art Gallery.

“Born in Paisley and trained at the Glasgow School of Art, his own image was a signature of Scotland. He recreated it over and over in the self-portraits which made his finely cultivated appearance instantly recognisable, wreathed in cigarette smoke, his hooded, often sleep-deprived eyes twinkling with self-aware amusement.

"‘Paisley Buddies’ are, to a man and a woman, total oddballs. I should know, I’m one of them,” John said once. But it was an oddity seen through a prism of the fantastic and John made magic out of himself.

“The family are grateful for your understanding of their need for privacy at this time.”