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Robert Plant remembers former Led Zeppelin tour manager Dennis Sheehan

Dennis Sheehan, longtime tour manager for U2, was honored for lifetime achievement at the 2008 Parnelli Awards for his work in the concert industry. Led Zeppelin's former lead singer, Robert Plant, with whom Sheehan worked in the 1970s, said, "I loved him like the impish brother that he was."

Dennis Sheehan, longtime tour manager for U2, was honored for lifetime achievement at the 2008 Parnelli Awards for his work in the concert industry. Led Zeppelin’s former lead singer, Robert Plant, with whom Sheehan worked in the 1970s, said, “I loved him like the impish brother that he was.”

(Timeless Communications / Associated Press)
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Before landing the job of tour manager for U2, to which he devoted the last 33 years of his life, Dennis Sheehan had worked with other rock acts, big and small.

None, however, was bigger than Led Zeppelin, which he worked for during much of the 1970s -- almost to the point when the group disbanded following the 1980 death of drummer John Bonham.

Sheehan often referred to his experiences with Zeppelin during his years with U2, to the point where the members of Ireland’s biggest rock band once dressed up to look like Led Zeppelin at a birthday party for Sheehan.

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Upon hearing of Sheehan’s death at 68 of an apparent heart attack early Wednesday, just hours after U2 opened its five-night run of shows at the Forum in Inglewood, former Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant remembered his friendship with Sheehan.

“Dennis traveled with me as we approached the end game of Led Zeppelin, his charm and humor a beacon in the meltdown of the late-’70s,” Plant told The Times in a statement.

“He ironed my green satin flares with a straight face and helped me reacquaint with the gift of speech every morning after!” Plant wrote.

“When my family suffered great loss he was there to support when so many were not,” he continued. “I loved him like the impish brother that he was. Time is vicious -- we move too fast to spend it with the people who really matter.”

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