Former dancer, choreographer and television personality Julian Benson has passed away at the age of 54. The family of the popular former Dancing with the Stars judge revealed the tragic news in a statement on Saturday afternoon, saying how "Julian passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family and closest friends, after a courageous battle with Cystic Fibrosis. His strength, warmth, and sparkle remained with him until the very end." Julian, who garnered the affectionate nickname Captain Sparkle for his unique style, rose to fame almost a decade ago on RTE's Dancing with The Stars after a decades-long career of dancing. Having been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a young child, Julian chose to keep his diagnosis private before revealing it to the nation during an appearance on The Late Late Show with Ryan Tubridy in 2018. Viewers of the RTE chat show were moved to tears when the talent agent, dancer and choreographer defiantly said: "I have Cystic Fibrosis, but Cystic Fibrosis doesn’t have me." Julian began dancing at just four years of age and refused to let his Cystic Fibrosis halt his aspirations as he worked for more than 40 years as a respected figure in the dance world. One of Julian's proudest achievements came with the opening of Tranquility House, a place where families of Cystic Fibrosis patients could find solace, comfort and peace. Tranquility House, which was funded by generous donations from more than 100 companies and people, was showcased on an episode of Dermot Bannon's Room to Improve earlier this year. Julian's family have expressed their gratitude to both the Cystic Fibrosis and ICU teams at St Vincent's University Hospital, as well as the transplant team at Beaumont Hospital. They have also thanked all the care teams who looked after Julian, those behind his Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and everyone who donated and cared for Julian during a remarkable life. (Image: Brian McEvoy) Julian is survived by his brother Adrian, sister-in-law Rachel, and his beloved nieces and nephew. Paying tribute, Larry Bass and ShinAwil said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our wonderful friend Julian Benson. Our very own Captain Sparkle who brought so much joy, brilliance and talent to the world. His attitude and outlook on life was ever inspiring and will continue to be thanks to his constant effort to better the lives of people around him, especially with the creation of the Julian Benson CF Foundation - his legacy will live on forever. "Julian was one of a kind, and will be forever missed. The world lost a bit of sparkle today." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.