Tributes flood in for 'brilliant' and well-loved Oswestry poet Les Barker
Tributes flood in from far and wide for a much-loved poet who has died aged 75.
People from across the country have paid their respects to comedian and author, Les Barker, who died of a suspected cardiac arrest on the weekend.
Mr Barker had been watching his football club – The New Saints – defeat Newtown in the JD Welsh Cup at Park Hall stadium in Oswestry on Saturday.
On Sunday morning at around 8.45am he was found unresponsive in his car by a member of the venue's cleaning staff and was pronounced dead shortly after.
Chairman of the club, Mike Harris said everyone was 'incredibly saddened' by the news of Mr Barker's passing, who had been a fan of the club since moving to Bwlchgwyn in North Wales in the mid-2000s.
Paying tribute, Mr Harris said: “Everyone at The New Saints FC was incredibly saddened to hear the news about Les on Sunday.
"On behalf of everyone at the club, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to all of his family and friends at this extremely sad time.
"He will be dearly missed and we would like to dedicate Saturday's win to him."
On social media, people stopped to share their fond memories of Mr Barker, who authored 77 books and released 20 albums in his lifetime and leaves behind a lasting legacy.
Louise Edwards of The Tin Shed, shared a video of Mr Barker performing on-stage at the Shropshire venue.
She wrote: "We feel incredibly privileged to have known him and that he graced The Tin Shed stage on a couple of occasions – most recently a hot August evening last year.
"He had the ability to capture the hearts of an audience with his quiet gentle humour and clever yet predictable rhymes, never failing to make everyone’s cheeks and sides ache with laughter."
Les Barker was born in Manchester in 1947 and studied accountancy before he learned he had a talent for writing.
He started his career by touring folk music venues as a solo performer and later with The Mrs Ackroyd Band – named after his mongrel dog Mrs Ackroyd.
Mr Barker's books contain a series of monologues, comic songs and serious songs and he created recurring characters and themes, including 'Jason and the Arguments' and ' Captain Indecisive'.
In October of 2022, Les Barker announced his retirement from touring after suffering from cancer and undergoing Chemotherapy.
Mr Barker's agent, Jacey Bedford, paid tribute to the late poet on her website, reminiscing about when they first met and her favourite memory of Les.
She said: "I have many stories about Les, but they are for later, when I’ve got a grip on my sadness. I’m sure other people have too.
"He was a fell runner, played football and ran marathons in his younger days, loved real trains and models, hated green food, loved brown food.
"He was kind and self-effacing with no personal ego, but he hated injustice and could express his distaste for war and politics very succinctly in his poetry.
"He was a beautiful soul, if eccentric, and a literary genius, loved by his many fans around the world.
"He was my friend, and I will miss him."
