Simon Wade
COSTA BLANCA said a big “¡Hasta luego!” to one of it’s best-known entertainers, this week.
Family and friends of Dean Alexanda were still in shock after his sudden passing on Thursday February 20, of a suspected heart attack.
The popular Big Radio radio presenter and fund-raiser had been living and working in Spain for four years.
The service was held in the main room at the Tanatorio Torrevieja, where roughly two hundred mourners packed in to honour the 56-year-old father of two from Greenwich, London.
Emotional eulogies were read out by both Joe and Jay, Dean’s sons, as well as the local minister.
By far the most poignant reading was from Richie Sparks, Big Radio’s general manager, who started, “What can I say about Dean? Husband, father, friend, entertainer … and all round nutter.”
“Dean arrived on the Costa Blanca like a whirlwind, his personality was overwhelming, his energy unlimited.”
“He embraced Spanish life – cheap food, cheap beer, sunshine, the beach … his daily siesta.”
“Dean adored his family and was like a kid in a sweet-shop, whenever he knew he was going to see his boys or any of his family.”
“And he was so excited when he went to the Caribbean for his wedding in December.”
Alexanda was as well-known for his never-ending charity work, as he was his karaoke shows and radio presenting.
He was pivotal in the efforts to supply kitchen equipment to the small village of El Saladar, near Almoradi, after 2019’s gota fria.
Read more: Brits help restore Costa Blanca community with only one working kitchen after September floods
Sparks finished by saying, “I, for one, will miss him. His loud laugh, his endless energy and his wicked sense of humour. We have lost a character taken too soon.”
As well as his sudden death, the funeral costs came as a huge shock to the family – if any Olive Press readers would like to help his wife cover those costs, please click here for the GoFundMe page
