Chris Sievey - RIP

The comic who created Frank Sidebottom is facing a pauper's funeral after dying virtually penniless.

Chris Sievey, whose alter-ego Frank's over-sized papier-mached head became a comedy icon, had no assets and little money in the bank, his family have revealed.

There are now calls to give the comic a dignified send-off. As we reported, Chris, 54, died after a battle with cancer. He was found collapsed at his home in Hawthorn Road, Hale, early on Monday and died later in Wythenshawe Hospital.

Chris leaves sons Stirling, 31, and Harry, 18, and daughter Asher, 30. Stirling said the family have been in discussion with hospital bereavement officers and a funeral director.

He said: “My father has not left any money behind and we are struggling to try and sort his funeral out. He spent money as it came in and was always a man for the moment. He never planned ahead. We have spoken to a funeral director and the sort of figures that they are talking about are too high.

“We would not know how to go about getting that sort of money at the moment. They said that applying for a pauper's funeral would be an option.

“He would not want us worrying about trying to sort it all out. We would not want our dad to have a pauper's funeral but we would not want something over the top for him too. Just something simple and dignified.”

Radio 2 DJ Mark Radcliffe, who played alongside Chris in the Frank Sidebottom Oh Blimey Big Band in the 1980s, said a pauper's funeral would be a tragedy. He said: “Something needs to be organised to give Chris the send-off that he deserves. It would be tragic for a man who brought so much enjoyment and laughter to the region to have a pauper's funeral.”

Chris was diagnosed with cancer last month and had operations to remove a tumour in his chest. He was due to start a course of chemotherapy today.

Stirling said his father remained determined to beat the illness. The results of a post mortem examination are due tomorrow. Stirling said: “We did not think he was that ill. Every time he spoke to one of us he said that it was nothing to worry about. ”

chips wrote:Over £6,000 raised via twitter & facebook though!

snake plissken wrote:He was a bit mad but a lovely fella. And deeply mischevious.

My favourite story about him was his efforts to get taken on by a record company (he did actually have some sort of deal with the Beatles' Apple Corps at one stage). He sent out so many demo tapes he actually published a book of rejection slips. Then he published a second one - of rejection slips from Virgin Records alone.

At another record label, he got hold of some headed notepaper and sent out a message to the two different directors saying that the other one was plotting against them and if they wanted to know more, they should meet up at a pre-arrnaged time. Both duly turned up, on which occasion he instead played them his new demo. No recording contract ensued.