Telford karaoke king Stan, 103, was 'sweetest man in the world'
A legendary Telford pub crooner who won the nation's heart on Britain's Got Talent has been described as the "sweetest man in the world" after his death aged 103.
"Ketley mon" and great-great grandfather Stan Saxon, a regular at The Horseshoes pub, died on Monday.
The centenarian lived a rich and colourful life, with perhaps his finest hour coming at the ripe age of 94 when he sang My Way at Birmingham's NEC and Hippodrome, wowing judges Amanda Holden, Piers Morgan and Louis Walsh and earning a standing ovation.
His daughter Linda Chadwick, 75, said: "They were amazed by him. He loved getting up and showing off. He was a wonderful man."
Born in March 1916 in Swinton in Salford, Stan's family moved to Telford when he was seven so his dad could work at Madeley Wood pit.
He was a keen sportsman, and became British cycling champion over a mile in 1935. A dedicated rider, he would train at St Georges track and sometimes ride 160 miles to Rhyl and back.
Stan was also a popular figure in the town's football fraternity, playing for Kynnersley before refereeing until he was 70. After hanging up his whistle, he played bowls into his 90s and was the oldest player ever to represent Shropshire.
In 2006, at the age of 90, he was encouraged by his daughters to write a book called I Did it My Way. In its early chapters, the book painted a picture of life a century ago, describing how children would carry water from the town well before school, emptying the toilet bucket for garden manure, and how it would be normal to see horse drawn traffic up and down the streets.
Stan also recorded his first CD at the age of 91, which covered everything from Sinatra to the Sex Pistols.
His died on September 30, the same day as his son Stanley, 64, died three years ago.
Linda added: "He was singing right up until about June. He went into a nursing home last year.
"He went in for respite but he liked it because they had lots of entertainment and it was Christmas, so he ended up staying.
"He had the words to My Way written on his trolley and he used to read them when he was walking around.
"It's just so sad. All the carers at the nursing home were crying.
"He never bought a house, owned a car, went on holiday abroad or had money in the bank. He was a Ketley mon and the important thing to him was that he had a loving family.
"He was the sweetest man in the world."
Stan is survived by Linda as well as his other daughters Pauline and Margaret, son Phillip, seven grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.
His funeral will be held at Telford Crematorium on Friday, October 18 at 11.30am. Everybody is welcome.
