Dave Myers summed up heartwarming 30-year friendship with best mate Si King in one of final interviews
Dave Myers summed up the wonderful friendship he had with Simon 'Si' King in one of his final interviews.
Together the duo formed The Hairy Bikers and delighted audiences with their infectious passion for food and the people who made it.
Sadly, Dave passed away yesterday (28 February) at the age of 66, with a statement from Si breaking the tragic news.
King's statement said he was 'afraid I bear some sad news', telling people that Dave 'passed away peacefully at home' in the company of his wife Lili and his family along with close friends David and Si.
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"Personally, I am not sure I can put into words on how I feel at the moment. My best friend is on a journey that for now, I can’t follow," King wrote of his dear friend.
"I will miss him every day and the bond and friendship we shared over half a lifetime.
"I wish you god’s speed brother; you are and will remain a beacon in this world. See you on the other side. Love ya."
Si then said he knew Dave would want him to thank everyone who'd sent in messages of love and support as 'it meant the world to him'.
The love, affection and well wishes from the Hairy Bikers fans clearly had a deep impact on Dave, as did the decades long friendship of his fellow biker Si.
Dave announced his cancer diagnosis in 2022 and continued to work, making The Hairy Bikers Go West which recently released on the BBC.
During an interview with BBC Breakfast, Dave spoke of a heartwarming and 'lovely' act from Si when he was unwell.
Myers said: "There was one day when I was poorly and he came round to our house and made me mince and dumplings, but he does it properly.
"You know, when the bottom of the dumplings are just soft, the top of the dumplings are crusty, and I really… I remember that with mashed potato. That was lovely.
"There was a freezer full and that was great."
Dave and Si were friends for over 30 years, and King said: "It just comes naturally to us. We’re good mates, we’re part of each other’s families.
"It’s just the way we are and we don’t really have to try very hard, because we like each other.
"We’re very different people but that’s what friendship is about because constantly you bring something new to the table when we see each other."
The pair first met on the set of TV drama The Gambling Man, with King the second assistant director and Myers the head of prosthetics, hair and makeup.
King told The Independent their friendship first sparked one lunch where 'most of the crew were ordering salads and mineral water' while Si was having 'a curry and two pints of lager'.
Si said Dave took one look at his lunch and declared 'I'll have what he's having', and they soon realised they had plenty in common from a love of food to a passion for motorbikes.
In the same interview both of them mentioned a moment where Si had restored an old Japanese motorcycle and sold it to Dave, only for it to break down a few days later.
Dave said the first time they cooked together was a New Year's Eve party with a dozen guests as they were 'flambéing bananas in Southern Comfort in front of everyone and having a laugh'.
"We became good mates and I got to know his family during Christmases," Dave said of how their friendship developed over the years.
"I'd bring seafood for the starters, Si's mum would do the turkey and Si's mother-in-law would do a Snow Queen meringue for the dessert – and they all became like family to me."
Topics: BBC, Celebrity, TV and Film
Joe Harker