Tributes to much-loved Peter Kay act as widow raises thousands for funeral

Thousands of pounds have been raised for the funeral of a much-loved Peter Kay tribute act following his sudden death.

Simon Mark toured the UK and Europe and quickly established himself as one of the UK's best tributes to the Bolton-born comedian. His act included many of Kay's catchphrases, including the iconic 'Garlic Bread' shout, the Mirror reports.

His widow Stacey has now started fundraising for his funeral. In a tribute posted on her late husband's Facebook page, she said: "It's with great sadness you will all now know I lost my best friend & husband this week unexpectedly.

"Simon is going to be missed by so many and seeing all of your wonderful posts and messages from family, friends, venues, promoters confirms what an impact Simon had on a personal level and a professional level. As we try to navigate through this incredibly difficult time, I have set up a go fund me as I have had people asking how they can support the funeral, as we were totally unprepared for this.

"Your kindness and support mean the world to us and will help to provide much-needed relief as we honor Simon, and keep memory alive. Thank you for your love, support, and prayers."

So far, nearly £4,000 has been raised. Stacey added that further details of the funeral would be shared on the Facebook account.

Following the news of his death, many of Simon's fans have paid tribute and thanked him for making them laugh over the years. Comedian, Marc Bolton, said: "I feel sick reading this [prayer emoji]. We only spoke the other day.

"Sending sincere heartfelt condolences to Stacey and all Simon's family and here's the the wonderful memories we made last year on tour. God bless my brother."

Another wrote: "OMG, I'm so sorry. What a loss, he was simply