Noel Gallagher pays a tribute to Late actor Caroline Aherne in recent concert

Noel Gallagher, the songwriter, co-lead vocalist, and guitarist of the rock band Oasis, made an emotional tribute to his friend, late comedian Caroline Aherne, and her co-star Craig Cash during a concert at Heaton Park on Friday, July 11, 2025.

Gallagher dedicated the song Half the World Away, which had become famous as the theme tune to the sitcom The Royle Family, which starred Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash. In the sitcom, Caroline played the role of Denise.

Aherne died on July 2, 2016, at her home in Timperley. She was battling lung cancer and was 52 at the time of her death.

Noel Gallagher pays tribute to Caroline Aherne

The rock band, Oasis, reunited on stage in Manchester after 16 years on Friday. Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher, the lead vocalist of the band, were seen arriving hand in hand.

The band sang a string of Oasis anthems for the crowd of 80,000 fans in attendance, including Morning Glory, Cigarettes and Alcohol, and Some Might Say. During the concert, Noel dedicated the song Half the World Away to the comedian and actress, Caroline Aherne.

In a recent interview with the BBC, Craig Crash shared that the song wasn’t initially meant for the show; however, when he and Caroline had heard it, they realized it captured the series' mood perfectly. He said:

''I just love that song. It really fit the mood. You're kind of stuck here but you love it all the same.''

Aherne appeared in other popular shows, including the talk show The Mrs Merton Show, and The Fast Show, where she played the role of 'Our Janine.' Her last on-screen appearance was in the 2015 comedy show After Hours. She had also written the 2013 British one-off sitcom The Security Men.

Noel has previously also dedicated the song to the late comedian and has described her as a funny woman.

The concert on Friday also had the family members of Noel and Liam backstage. As per reports by The Sun, Peggy Gallagher, their mother, had also joined the crowd during the concert. Their children, including Gene, Lennon, and daughter Anais, also appeared backstage. They were photographed alongside Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

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The band Oasis was formed back in 1991, and some of the famous tracks by the band include Don't Look Back in Anger, Champagne Supernova, Supersonic, their 194 breakthrough anthem Live Forever, Stop Crying Your Heart Out, Stand By Me, Slide Away, and Some Might Say.

Before the reunion this year, the band had last performed back in 2009.

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