Dear Barry,our first meeting was in PLANET HOLLYWOOD 1998,we hit it off straight away,many times in Paris having the time of our life's.1999 you moved in with me in ESBLY,where as usual great nights singing to Céline Dion and we Also managed to see her at the Stade de France ,4th row , what a night we had even though you were not too well that evening but we had had a Ball. 2 and a half years later you moved to paris but we Always managed to meet and catch up in all the news. I moved to le mans where you where invited lots off Times but sadly you had a busy social life 🤣🤣🤣. Recently met up for the closing of planet Hollywood where we met up again and its as If we had never lost contact.after that we called now and again last call was in january and as usual it lasted a good hour on the phone. My friend Barry thankyou for the memories the laughs,the up's and down's of life your where a Star and Always Will be. You will be sadly missed but not forgotten 😘❤️🙏

David Morrison

Dear Barry, My dearest friend. Years of Disney and Planet Hollywood. We had amazing evenings and nights together and a fantastic couple of weeks in Thailand, each living on a bottle of whiskey and two packets of cigarettes a day. You were my rock and support when I left Paris to go and live with Jimmy in the Netherlands, and I had a hard time adjusting to my home country again. The first couple of years, I was back almost every month and you made me Jack’s godfather when we got him from a shop on the Quai de la Seine. Later Jimmy joined in on the numerous weekends we spent at your place on rue Saint Sauveur. We made sure we were there for you during your first and most dark period of your life and kept on visiting you. You later told me that you did not understand how I could have put up with all that. My answer was “That’s what friends are for, in good and bad times”. When your physical health was declining, we didn’t come as often, so you could save your energy. But we had each other on the phone regularly and later weekly or twice weekly. For you, it was enough to know you could call me anytime and I would be there on the other end of the line. Long talks about family and friends and the wonderful souvenirs we made together. But at a certain moment, I couldn’t get through to you anymore. And then what I was afraid of for so long happened. You were gone. And yes Barry, I was crying, again! You leave a huge empty hole in our lives. It is surreal not to be able to pick up the phone anymore. Not being able to visit you and enjoy your presence, humour, and laughter. I miss you terribly my friend. I hope you and Jack are in a better place now and at peace, together with your beloved mum. My sincere condolences to your family. I wish them a lot of strength in the years to come and that they will be there for each other, to make it a bit more bearable to live without you being there anymore. You will never be forgotten and will always live on in our hearts. Your friends, Kees van Gastel & Jimmy Ho, Almere, Netherlands.

Kees van Gastel