Plans for a memorial statue of legendary Belfast rocker Gary Moore in his home city have moved a step further.

The former Thin Lizzy guitarist, who grew up in the Newtownards Road area, was found dead in a hotel room on the Costa del Sol in 2011 aged 58.

News of a campaign to raise funds for the tribute emerged at the end of last year and now Irish sculptor Sean MacCarthy has been appointed for the Belfast project.

The renowned statue artist from Cork has an impressive portfolio of outstanding works over the years including the Christy Ring statue at Cork Airport and the Bill Clinton statue at Ballybunion, Co Kerry.

For this commission, the statue will be meticulously crafted in several stages which, those behind the imitative said, will allow work to commence soon.

Meanwhile, fundraising for the long-awaited tribute piece will be officially launched on Friday, April 12 with a special memorial show at the Belfast Empire Music Hall.

Those performing include original Thin Lizzy guitarist Eric Bell and his band; the Patricia Moore Band, featuring bassist to the stars Jerome Rimson; Sam Davidson's Taste and Gerry Quigley & The Durty Blues Band.

Organisers are promising a spectacular "encore of the night" when all of the bands will be invited back on stage for "an epic improvised blues jam".

Moore, who first picked up a guitar when he was eight, was as famous for his intense facial expressions while playing the blues and rock he loved as he was for his impressive guitar work.

Arguably most famous for his 1979 hit Parisienne Walkways, Moore began his career in the music business aged just 16 when he moved to Dublin in 1969.

He joined the rock band Skid Row, which also featured future Thin Lizzy star Phil Lynott. In 1973, he was brought in to Thin Lizzy to replace Eric Bell, another guitarist from Northern Ireland, but only played with them for four months.

Four years later he returned and went on to play on the band's famous Black Rose album.

Tickets are on sale from the Belfast Empire and Ticketmaster. See www.gigforgary.com or www.garymoorestatue.com for details.

Belfast Telegraph