This message is for everyone who has ever been to the classic rock bar.

Im posting this message on behalf of Buffy who you will all know posts under the name "classic rock"

As most of you will know, her partner Sass has been in hospital for a while with serious health problems, it is now my sad duty to inform you all that Sass died peacefully at 8.30pm on Thursday evening.

Buffy understands that a lot of you would want to send her a PM to offer your condolences but requests that you do not as she is leaving the country in the morning so she can spend time getting herself together.

She has told me that she will be returning on the 26th and after this date she will be arranging a tribute night to Sass, so I hope that everyone that knew him will turn up to this event to show their respect for one of the nicest guy's it has ever been my privilige to know.

I will be in contact with the other CRB staff over the next few days so I will happily relay any messages for you all.

Sass, you will live on in our hearts forever, rest in peace

DJ Shadowman
AKA
Muzz (LongRiders Sheffield)

:( That's incredibly sad news Dj - thanks for letting us know. Please send Buffy my love & best wishes. She'll be in my thoughts xx

I've known Sass a long time,
He was a good mate and top bloke
I'll miss him

my thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends

Peace Love and Unity.
Sheffield music has missed the CRB for the last couple of months and now it is going to miss a true legend.

Very very sad news :(

My thoughts and prayers are with the family :(

:(

All the best Sass.

My thoughts are with you.

thanks for posting this dj shadowman my partner and i are in touch with buffy and the other staf and as soon as we have details of arrangements if you have not already heard we will post as buffy asked us to make sure ( he had a good send of )
sass as a great bloke both at the rock bar and at home even in the hospital he continued to be the joker on the ward he will be greatly missed :sad:

I am shocked and taken by surprise by this sad announcement. The last time I had a drink with him was when we went down to say goodbye to the CRB building for one of the last times, and I had a good long chat with him as usual. I am very sad to find out it will be our last on this side of life.
Buffy we're all thinking about you, Sass, set them up on the bar and we'll be with you again when the time is right..

Wow. Very sad news to wake up to : Me and friends had some really good nights in the Classic Rock Bar while we were in Halls at nearby Collegiate. The Classic Rock Bar is truly different, it sticks out of its surrounding city like an excellent sore thumb. So here's to someone who was living a dream, lets all learn from him!

RIP.

Such sad news, my thoughts go out to everyone who knew him :(

I got a txt from my brother at 10.20 last night who was in Cha Cha's with some CRB regulars last night and told me the terrible news. :sad:
My thoughts and prayers are with buffy and the family
R.I.P

I didnt know him, but this is very sad news.

My thoughts are with you Classic.

This is terribly sad, for what I met of him, he always made me laugh.

Poor old Buffy :(

Expect me at the tribute night.

Thanks again Shadowman.

Shocked by this news. He'll be missed hugely, he did so much for the local rock music scene. Rest In Peace Sass, all our thoughts go to Buffy. We'll be at any tribute night that's organised, and our gig this Saturday will be dedicated to him.

Andy, Ciaran, Marcus and Dave (FCDOGUK)

Originally posted by roger
thanks for posting this dj shadowman my partner and i are in touch with buffy and the other staf and as soon as we have details of arrangements if you have not already heard we will post as buffy asked us to make sure ( he had a good send of )
sass as a great bloke both at the rock bar and at home even in the hospital he continued to be the joker on the ward he will be greatly missed :sad:

Thanks for that Roger, Sass deserves the best send off that we can give him, like you said, he was always the joker.
It sounds inadequate but the only way I think think to describe him right now is a "gentle giant"

It seems strange that I will never walk into a bar again and see him with a mike in his hand - he was one of the funniest dj's I have ever met and could bring a smile to anyones face.

They say that only the good die young, and Sass was one of the best.He was one of those people that made Sheffield great and will be remembered for a very long time.

Its hard to think of what to say in times like this, my thoughts are with you and all who cared about, they clearly loved Sass.

sad news indeed although i did not know him i rember hearing sass on radio sheffield he seemed to be a jolly chap he was doing some sort of work quiz whilst the nurses took blood from him whilst he was on live radio toby foster wanted to put a halt to the show but sass was not having any of it and continued whilst he did the show he will be sadly missed by a lot of people condolenses to his family steve....

Condolences to Buffy and co.

What awful news.

He'll be sadly missed.

Buffy, you're in my thoughts.

Edited to add,

Yes, the post above, from steevie, gives a perfect example of Sass's indomitable spirit, and brilliant sense of humour.

love, PT

This is from Sarah and Mick (CRB).

If Sass hadn't existed we would have had to invent him. Now that he's gone it's hard to find the right words to sum him up but everyone that knew him already have the right words in their memories. He gave us some truly Kodak moments, his sense of humour ranged from subtle to outrageous and he regarded every one of his friends as his straightman/woman

Sass won't just be remembered for his humour, he was passionate in his quest to improve Sheffields music scene, while his health didn't allow him full rein anyone who ever played or drank at the CRB will know that what he and Buffy created is the stuff of legends. If flights of angels are singing him to his rest you can bet he made them do a sound check first!
So on behalf of Sass a whopping great thank you to all the musicians and customers and friends who came, saw and fell over. You all made the Crb an amazing experience

Buffy has gone to stay with friends and will be incommunicado for a while but we're relaying all the messages of support to her. Heartfelt thanks to everyone

I'll post details of the funeral as and when and we're hoping to arrange an acoustic wake in approx three weeks time, details on that will be posted too

If anyone has a kodak moment of Sass they'd like to share we'd love to hear it

Sarah, Mick,
If you need anything, you know where we are.

Very sad news, a true legend of the Sheffield scene.

My condolences, despite only ever visiting the CRB twice, the atmosphere was good and the people friendly. Shame that this happened to such a well respected individual.

R.I.P Mate

Joel

the Classic Rock Bar became our local pub for every time band practise became intense, or just for a casual drink with friends.

We played there "on t' famuss blew carpet" several times, every time getting more amused by Sass's anicdotes.

We still saw him every now and then, and every time enquired about how the venue search was going, he always seemed adamant that he would get back into the business, I had no idea any of this was going on.

I'll remember him for the night he spent all his time ripping it out of Fever from Ecanasia for having tape all over his face after he fell into a sink, and the night I was late getting on to stage, and when I couldn't be seen he shouted to everyone "it's okay, he's here under the desk...ooh he's good" at which point i appeared on stage, to which he shouted "he's there! hang on...if he's there...who are you ya dirty bitch, get away!" - he had the whole place in hysterics so many times. not just a venue owner, not just a performed, a compere, someone who would make the venue unique, and make every night special

God Bless him, he gave us all so much entertainment, laughter and more. A true rocker, and someone I'm proud to have known.

Originally posted by Classic Rock
This is from Sarah and Mick (CRB).

If flights of angels are singing him to his rest you can bet he made them do a sound check first!


What a brilliant thing to say! I met Sass briefly when he was DJing in a pub in the 90's - he was a really nice guy and I was astonished and delighted to find a Mick Ronson album in his record cases! He played Bruce Dickinson's (Iron Maiden) version of Ian Hunter's 'Once Bitten, Twice Shy' to wind me up because he knew I hated it! He followed it up with a track from the Ronson album to make it up though!

Buffy and Sarah and Mick,

Sass and CRB were responsible for some of my best times in Sheffield - my fondest memories coming from " T 4 £2 " where Sass made the best fish and chips, steak and ale pies, burgers in homemade bread and other assorted cordon bleu-esque dinners with such passion lol....

I don't think anyone else in Sheffield can be given more credit than Buffy and Sass for single-handedly enabling us to listen to the best music, every day of the week, for free. CRB was the only pub in which I've ever felt I belonged... and I don't even like Classic Rock!!! lol

Sass... you're a bloody legend my friend and wherever you are I hope that you shall stay rocking...

Much love and respect

Lee the Ginger

Sad, sad news....

It's already been said, but Sass will be remembered for a long time.

Without his passion for music, sense of humour, intellect and wisdom Sheffield would be a lesser place.

Thanks Sass....love on ya!

I have just had a phone call from Sarah who has informed me that the rock night at Cha Cha's tomorrow WILL be going ahead..

Obviously Buffy will not be there but the night will be done by Sarah & Mick who we all know and love.

Please,please,please get down there if you can as Sarah will be looking for stories about Sass, his sense of humour etc and will hopefully see some of the band members that played at CRB over the years to arrange an acoustic night as a tribute to the great man himself.

Hope to see you all there.

Sass R.I.P. Top Bloke.

Very sad news. Condolences to Buffy and all of his family and friends.

What can I say. I am absolutely gutted as I'm sure everyone that met the big man will be.

You cannot measure how important the CRB was to the local scene, giving many bands the chance to play for the first time. Sass was always great with bhuna and I think he liked our music too. My greatest memory of him was when I managed to get him to join us on "the world famous carpet" to perform a punked-up 'Wonderful World'.

He was funny, intelligent with a big kind heart and his build ups to the bands were sometimes hilarious.

The music scene in sheffield has missed the CRB. And now it will miss Sass. One of it's finest, most lovable characters.

bhuna are playing a private party in goole of all places tonight and we are definitely going to play 'Wonderful World' and dedicate it to sass.

RIP, big fella. I can speak for the whole of the band when I say that we will all miss you loads.

Having only met the guy a couple of times, his general "aura" has made a long lasting impression on me.

R.I.P my friend.

This is a real shock, such sad news. My thoughts go out to Buffy, Sarah and Mick.
We had great times in the CRB. Some of the things Sass used to come out with over the P.A - he often had me grinning from ear to ear :)
He was such a nice guy.

I'm sorry that this is a long one but I really want to share some of my thoughts. I think everyone knows the sad news by now. There have been so many calls and messages. There is a huge network of people all connected by Sass (and Buffy) and a shared appreciation of the wonderful venues that they've run. That's a fantastic legacy. There is such a huge sense of loss and an overhwleming sense of appreciation for someone who has provided us with so many good times.

I first met Sass in 2001 when he was at Tuxedo Blue. I was lonely and miserable after splitting up with my husband of fourteen years. Characteristically, he welcomed me, as he did with so many others, in a way that meant you were always part of what was happening, not an outsider. He and Buff suggested that I work behind the bar so that I could get involved and meet people. It's one of the best things that I ever did. My social life has revolved around Tuxedo Blue, The Yorkshireman and The Clasic Rock Bar for the last four years. I would not have the circle of friends, the boyfriend and the life that I now enjoy if it weren't for him. More than that, Sass has supported me and Spider through some of the toughest times with incredible generosity, biting wit and warm good humour. He's a unique friend with a wonderful philosophy and outlook on life. We will miss him so much.

I was hoping that Sass would recover and go on to set up a new venue; now I'm sure that the Pearly Gates already have poster up saying 'Live Rock Music Every Night' and we'll all have somewhere to go when it's our turn. Good job. I was always worried about those harps... Unitl then, let's make sure that the network keeps going and that there are many more nights of good music and good company where acceptance, love and humour reign supreme.

Top bloke. Very, very sadly missed. Had a few laughs with him. Just wished i got to know him better. I'll have a pint in memory of Sass tommorrow.

Everyone :cry: but do not forget to :headbang:

Cheers Sass, all miss ya

How sad is this news , what a cool guy .I only knew him for a short while due to the meets , I guess that's how most of us got to know him. I'm up for a get to together when Buffy get's back ,I only pm her a few days ago to see how they both were doing , she told me then he was in hospital , this is truly sad news for all who knew Sass .I'll be thinking of you Buffy and Sass , I hope heavens ready for a guy that can rock ! if not , tuff , I'm sure he will have them rocking sooner or later , so put down the harps my angels and pick up them guitars it's time for some real music !

love Pretty woman xxxxxx


Goodnight Godbless Sass xxx

I had been going to the CRB before the forum meets on my regular trips to the Corporation and spoke to Sass on occassion, but it wasn't until after the the forum meets there that I got to know him (and the rest of the CRB crew) a bit better. Always had a good chat and wont forget him.

R.I.P Sass mate

From Sarah (CRB) email: Splodgeone@hotmail.com

Hoping to get the ball rolling tonight on the acoustic wake/tribute thing. Going to the Cricketers Arms on Bramall lane, where hopefully we'll catch up with some of the old faces and beg, bribe and bully them into playing. Sat night I'll be playing a lot of Sass' fave melodies at Cha Cha's and hopefully a few friends will recall some of his more outrageous statements. Sass had a finely tuned sense of the english language (a rare quality in a DJ!) and those of you privileged enough to hear his victorian dad routine....cherish the memory!

Massive thanks Shadowman (who also has a nice way with the english language) for posting the news about Sass. We were all a little soggy last night, still are!
It's been great reading all the posts about Sass, thank you to everyone who has shared a Sass moment. Keep 'em coming!

Bhuna...good luck with the gig in Goole! Checking out your website n where's the cd u promised me? Get in the recording studio....

D*G***K. ( I cant remember your new arrangement but you know who you are) I cant believe I got paid for working that night...

If anyone wants a great night out catch these two bands in action......quality tells

Sass was all about entertaining people but he loved to be entertained back so anyone interested in the tribute night email me or catch me or mick in the pub, that or we hunt you down wherever u are......

Sass was the dude!

I personally will miss him as will our friends.

Used to have great days with him and the gang in the Mailcoach on west street every saturday afternoon. (Photos are hilarious)

Please let us know when the acoustic night is as I have been asked by a few people who knew him if I could let them know.

xx

From Sarah (CRB)

The tribute night is going ahead at Cha Cha's on Friday 1st July

Let's make it a night to remember for the big guy!

From Sarah CRB

Sass a.k.a Christopher Holland Vine
13/11/64 - 09/06/05

The funeral will be held at Grenoside Crematorium North on Thursday 30th June at 2.45pm

For those of you who wish to say a personal farewell to the big guy viewings will be held on the 27th, 28th and 29th in the chapel of rest at the
John Fairest Funeral Home
Penistone Road North
Wadsley Bridge

Flowers can be sent directly to John Fairest. If anyone would like to make a donation to charity Sass supported the British Heart Foundation and Sheffield Childrens Hospital appeal

wow....just bumped into a very old friend of mine today who told me about Sass - just wanted to add my condolences to his friends and family.
I knew him from various places in the 1990's.......genuinely nice guy, no doubt will be sadly missed.
I remember me and my mate being absolutely legless in the sportsman and singing our heads off to some meatloaf track....and he quietly muttered into the mike ''ladies and gentlemen, 'fruitloaf' have entered the building''

didnt realise he was so young....such a shame.

There's a really, really nice article in Martin Dawes' "the diary" on page 10 of tonight's "Sheffield Star" (tues 14th June 05) , mourning Sass's passing.

It mentions the hard work he and Buffy put into the CRB, to make it a great place to go, for ale and for music.

PT

I had the pleasure of meeting Sass for the first time when he played the Yorkshireman's, through to the Other Side in the 90's. A jovial chap, full of all the wit expressed by so many others here on the forum (and a considerable amount of bare-faced cheek for which we all must have an anecdote or two!). Amidst the multitudes I stand as one and say I will miss him..

On behalf of myself and all the lads from Izon Paradise, who had the great pleasure of repeatedly appearing (and it seems for all too brief a time) at the CRB, may I pass on our sincerest thoughts and condolences to Buffy, Sarah and Mick.

I wouldn't know what to say to the man himself except may the spirit of everything for which you stood reign infinitum my friend..

R.I.P :cool:

Gav

Is it true he has died?? I read it in the Sheffield Star yesterday...I'm gutted!

sad news - http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=43910&highlight=for+the+attention+of+patrons

Is that Sass who used to DJ in the Sportsman on Saturday afternoon ?

Sarah CRB

Unfortunately it is, and he is so very very much missed

What a terrible thing to happen

I only met Sass a few times but was struck by his enormous generosity. He opened his bar up to us Forumers for several get-togethers and put on the most wonderful spreads, free and gratis.

He was kind and thoughtful to that old lady that used to come in for her glass of stout every night too, that impressed me. That he could make the place so welcoming that an old lady would still want to come in.

Buffy, it is going to be very hard for you, I hope that your friends who live near by will be there for you, not just in the short-term but in the long term too

A big hug from me

For those of you who never met the man, I'm sorry to say that's it's too late.
The Classic Rock Bar (formerly The Jolly Buffer) on Ecclesall Road was seldom out of the news for one thing or another, but I can honestly say that I never saw any trouble there, and always had a really good time.
Sass was a gentleman in lots of ways, and will be sorely missed.
My heart goes out to his better half, Buffy....
I doubt if anybody has done a tenth of what Sass managed for local bands/music...... a top man.
I'm very sad.....

It's not near the top now, so you may have missed this, RiffRaff

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=43910

Sounds like he was one of those really special people who only come along once in a while

RIP big fella.

From all the guys in Protex Blue

I don't know anyone concerned, but thought I would say thankyou to everyone on this thread for making this forum something more than the ***** it can sometimed be.

Condolences,

Tom

For all those that have expressed their concern for Buffy I can just let you know that she's aware of the messages that have been sent and is doing okay, considering. True to form she signed off her last message, 'Keep on Rocking', so we can only do the same. I don't doubt she'll have plans when she gets back. For myself, I can only say that I'm so glad to see so many people sharing their sadness and happy memories of Sass, here on the Forum and, out there, in the world. There's a blumming massive grumpy hairy bloke shaped hole in my life at the moment. 'Massive Attack is most definitely NOT ROCK MUSIC. We have a music policy here and I'll sack whoever put it on if they do it again... '.

That didn't stop him playing Barry Manilow on my birthday!

Sarah

words never suffice Sarah.

Truly sad for you, deepest condolences.

:(

Only went to the Classic Rock Bar a few times, but found firstly it is one of the few pubs you could walk into on your own and have a good time amongst strangers, it was also fairly unique, and was developing to be an important place to the grass roots of live music. It was also good that it was matched with good ale at a bargain price.

But more to the point for here, I found that Sass was a top bloke, with a great (but cheeky) sense of humour! He will be sadly missed, and I am hoping to put an appearance in at the tribute night at ChaChas Bar.

By the way, I have written a short piece in Beer Matters magazine, including a mention of the Tribute night, I don't suppose anyone could provide a photograph or a quote?

Thanks Andy
I'm looking for photos of Sass but we're still unpacking so I'l take some down to the Crb on Friday and Cha Cha's on Sat if that's any good. Assuming I can find any suitable!

Just keeping music live is the best tribute anyone can pay to Sass

Sarah

Very sad to hear of this - I had no idea. He was always funny and very kind when I met him. My thoughts with you Buffy, if there's anything we can do to help...

see ya - one of my best mates in the business!

'It's a perm'

Our thoughts are with you buffy.

Craig & all at the standard.

Splodge - I've got some nice photos and Biker Pete's Sarah said that she had some good ones too. Shall I sort them out? Might be good to get a little montage together anyway. What Barry Manilow was it? You had privileges, you did.

Bumped into Duncan last night... He didn't know. Blast from the past. Well, warmish breeze, perhaps.

Sad and full of remorse to hear the news of the tragic loss of a megastar in the world of rock and life, Sass was a big guy with an even bigger heart.
I have known Sass for near on 20 years from his early DJ years down at the Limes Pub in Rotherham, where his wonderful wit and good humour turned the pub from empty to packed every Sunday night and his quizes where legendary, although i visited Sass at various DJ venues in Rotherham and Sheffield in the last 20yrs some of my most fondest memories are the Christmas sessions he did at this pub with a fancy dress theme, some of the outfits he would wear were outrages to say the least. I will always remember the last song played at the CRB "keep on Rockin in a free world" i always asked Sass for Neil when i was in any pub he DJ'd at, did not know that it would be the last ever time i could request this from him.
I can remember one night one one of Sasses dear friends had suddenly passed away he announced on the Mic he was playing his favourite record "Dust In The Wind" by Kansas. Sass was more than just dust in the wind his soul will last forever.
All my best wishes go to everyone who hold Sass longing;y in there hearts

John L
Rotherham

IMPORTANT CHANGE FOR ALL
anyone attending sass,s funeral all bikes to meet at the old classic rock bar no later than 1pm if possible
thankyou :thumbsup:

So sad to hear the news, Sass really genuinely was a lovely big guy who I spent many hours with in the Sportsman. God bless.

FAO ginger queen,

hi huny its sarah,(soon to be Mrs Biker Pete!!) hope you are ok, i will get some copies of the photo's i have of sass so if any one wants one i should be able to sort them out. love to you and your lot! xx see you thursx

hey guys i only started goin 2 classic for open mic but wen i started goin i got talkin 2 sass and buffy and started goin for the gigs the one i will remember the most is vincent's ear. sass was a gr8 guy and he will be missed a hell ov a lot i was upset wen i found out but ive had a fair few drinks for him and will ave many in the future for him 2 i just wanna say he was a gr8 guy and i know everyone who knew him will say the same he will be missed loadz i might cum down 2 cha cha's on nite if i get time off work so i might c u all there all the best rockers FLAME