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Eastenders Stars Heartbroken Father Hangs Himself
- Noel Janus -

Copyright Photo Sylvan Mason by kind permission
sylvanmason.com

I was very shocked when I read the news yesterday that Noel Janus, 60, had hung himself in the bathroom of his one bedroom flat in Hollingdean, Brighton.

He was found by the police after a worried neighbour alerted them on Saturday. He was last spotted by him a few days prior to his hanging when Noel was seen out walking his deaf Dalmatian dog Cathy.

Noel was heartbroken that he did not appear in any of the glossy OK magazine wedding pictures taken in May at his daughter Samantha’s (who plays Ronnie Mitchell in the popular British soap Eastenders) wedding.

His daughter Samantha, 37, was to be married to Mark Womack and she sent her father an invitation to the May wedding. Though he did not walk her down the aisle or make a speech. He was simply there as a guest.

Friends said that Janus had been desolute in the weeks leading up to his death. The fact that none of the published photographs included himself or any of his side of the family deeply upset him.

He told in an interview to the local paper the Evening Argus that this was “Like a dagger to the heart”. He was inconsolable. ‘The whole of Sam’s side of the family, including myself and her mother, have been completely left out of all the photos’.

“It’s like we weren’t there - we don’t exist.”

Noel split with Samantha’s mother when she was 6 years old and it was not until 1996 that more regular contact with Samantha began. Their relationship was strained and the editing of the photos appears to have been the final straw for him.

His long-time friend, Abby Goldin said that “Noel would have liked to walk his daughter down the aisle”.

Noel was well known in Brighton. He was a singer songwriter who supported local charities and had a keen interest in motorcycle events and he was brother to Angie, who married footballer George Best.

I am devastated at the news. Noel was an old friend of mine who I first met when we both lived in Kemptown village.

We were part of the ‘Hand in Hand’ set. A local real ale pub, where a load of us would all meet up and wile away the night before piling back to his flat nearby, to put the world to rights till the early hours of the morning.

I last saw Noel a few years ago at a party given by a mutual friend, Fran. It was nice to catch up and he seemed in very good spirits. He had a great personality and a wonderful energy for life.

Noel was a local celebrity and a popular figure in Brighton and Hove where he would perform at the local pubs and wine bars singing his songs and playing guitar.

He was very talented and worked with a number of bands and artists including Fleetwood Mac. He brought out his own album ‘Heroes of the World’ in the late 1970’s.

Noel had been suffering from heart problems and was severely depressed towards the end of his life. - He will be sadly missed by all his friends.

“The death is not being treated as suspicious and an inquest will be held in due course.”

My sincere condolences go out to his family. –

R.I.P Noel