Departures of note

Dainton Connell, known as “Denton” or “The Bear,” led one of Arsenal FC’s hooligan firms during the 1980s, a role that made him a “main face” among the ranks. At the same time, he was influential in ensuring that the British National Party, then trying to infiltrate football firms, failed to gain any foothold at Arsenal. Born in Brighton in 1961 to Jamaican parents, he left school at 16 and became a scaffolder, first gaining public attention in 1977 after appearing in a television documentary presented by Janet Street-Porter about skinheads.

In the band’s early years, Connell worked as a minder for Madness. He was employed as a bodyguard for the Pet Shop Boys’ first tour in 1989, and for the next eighteen years he assisted the duo on tours and appeared in their music videos, including “So Hard” and “Jealousy.” He also provided additional vocals on “One and One Make Five” on their 1993 album Very. In 1997, Connell appeared as one of the subjects of Sam Taylor-Wood’s piece Five Revolutionary Seconds XIII, after meeting her while she was directing the Pet Shop Boys’ residency at the Savoy Theatre. The same year, he was referenced in a flashback scene in the film Fever Pitch.

Connell died aged 46 in a car crash in Moscow in October 2007. His funeral was held at the Mary Magdalene Church in Holloway Road and was attended by 3,000 people, including Janet Street-Porter, former Arsenal players Ian Wright and Lee Dixon, comedians Matt Lucas and David Walliams, artist Sam Taylor-Wood and boxer Frank Bruno. The Pet Shop Boys also performed a benefit night for Connell’s family at Heaven nightclub, called Can You Bear It?, alongside Suggs and Chas Smash of Madness, who had both been friends with Connell since he was 12. In 2009, a plaque dedicated to Connell near the Emirates Stadium was removed by Islington Council, despite opposition from fans.