'So many stories about how she lifted people up when they were struggling': Tributes as daughter of well-known Belfast blues musician Rab McCullough dies aged 48
Tributes have been paid to the daughter of well-known Belfast blues musician, Rab McCullough, after her death at 48 years old.
Described by her family as “kind and instinctively empathetic”, Louise McCullough is said to have “had a natural gift for making people feel seen and valued".
“She seemed to know when someone needed encouragement or support,“ her grieving family said, as they tried to come to terms with her sudden passing while out shopping in her adopted home of New York.
Rab was known as a mainstay of Belfast’s music scene for decades; described as a “chip off the old block”, Louise shared a close bond with her father and proudly stood by his side when his music enjoyed a revival in the US during the 1990s.
HIs best-known song ‘Louisiana Woman’ was inspired by Louise, reflecting the close relationship between father and daughter. He affectionately referred to her as his “voodoo child”.
Born in Belfast to Rab and Marion McCullough, she grew up surrounded by music, alongside her older brother James and younger brother Robert, within a close-knit extended family.
Louise moved to New York around 18 years ago, building a life and a wide circle of friends. For several years she lived in Charleston with James but six months ago returned to her first American home, settling in Westchester in New York State.
She worked in the beauty industry as a highly accomplished aesthetician, working with major brands including Estee Lauder, where she regularly ranked among the top sales performers thanks to what her family said was her intuitive way with people.
She had been making plans to return to Northern Ireland permanently to be closer to her family, who now say their greatest comfort and “only solace” is that she is reunited with her father and grandmother.
In the days since her passing, the family say they have been overwhelmed by messages from both sides of the Atlantic from people sharing memories of Louise and the many quiet acts of kindness she carried out throughout her life.
Her brother James said the family have been deeply moved by the stories now being shared about the impact she had on people’s lives.
“She was the type of person who would help anyone,” he said. “We’ve always known that, but now we’re hearing so many stories about the ways she lifted people up when they were struggling.”
According to her family, friends said that when Louise noticed someone feeling low, she would often take them by the hand and lead them onto the dancefloor – and once gave her mountain bike to a homeless man, because she felt he needed it more than she did.
Louise’s death, they add, has brought echoes of the response that followed Rab McCullough’s passing in 2021, when countless people came forward to say how much his music and wisdom had meant to them; similarly, they’ve been bombarded with messages from people keen to share the ways her kindness had touched their lives.
Louise is survived by Marion, James and Robert, along with sister-in-law Cathy, nieces, aunts, uncles and the wider Walsh and McCullough families. She is to be laid to rest beside her father in Milltown Cemetery.