Freddie Starr’s family ‘blown away’ as funeral director offers to repatriate his body and hold ceremony for free to avoid pauper’s grave
FREDDIE Starr’s family have been “blown away” by a kind-hearted funeral director’s offer to repatriate the comedian’s body and hold a ceremony for free.
Michael Fogg decided to step up after reading he was facing a pauper’s grave in The Sun, after being found dead at home in Spain on Thursday.
The 54-year-old, who runs his Sheffield funeral business, Michael Fogg Family Funeral Directors, with his wife and family, told the Sun Online: “I liked him, he made me laugh, he was a funny man.
“For the grace of god there go I, you know.
“It’s thanks to The Sun for bringing it to my attention on social media.
“I thought ‘there’s no way that this should be and that this family should be in this position’. The main thing is to get Freddie back home.
“I couldn’t bear the thought of his family being in turmoil at him being over there.”
His offer comes after The Sun Online has been inundated with calls from fans, hoping to do their bit to bury Freddie.
Among them is couple Valerie and Sandy Shannon, aged 70 and 76, who shared fond memories of the comic as they offered to pay for his funeral.
Valerie said: “We don’t want to think he’s going to have a pauper’s grave.
“We would love to pay for it.
“He was a nice man – and hopefully he finds some peace.”
Starr’s long-term companion said no one had claimed his body, and the comic remained in a hospital morgue days after his death.
He moved to the Costa Del Sol in the wake of historic sex claims, and having lost a large chunk of his fortune.
Nelly Georgieva, 57, told the Sun on Sunday: “If the family want him to have a funeral in the UK then it could be very expensive to get him there.”
A basic Spanish funeral costs around £2,800 and Nelly would be unable to afford the bill.
Funerals in Spain usually take place 24 hours after formalities have taken place, and if no one claims his body or pays for a funeral he will be cremated by the hospital and his ashes left in a public cemetery.
The grave will be unmarked, with just a serial number marking his grave.
After reading this, Mr Fogg – who offers free funerals to homeless people and children – felt compelled to help and has since been contacted by an overwhelmed Donna, Starr’s third wife.
He said: “She rang up to say that the family are blown away with the offer to sort everything out.
“They are on board, so it’s just a case of putting everything in order. She was a bit surprised.
“I’m a funeral director but I haven’t always been a funeral director – so I know what it’s like to have nothing.
“I think that why I made the offer.”
Adding: “You shouldn’t judge a man by his wealth, you should judge a man by who likes him – the wealth of a man is who attends his funeral.”
STARR’S LIFE MARRED
Donna, was 27 years younger than Starr, and they had a daughter together before divorcing and then marrying again.
Years later he was forced to sell his £700,000 UK home and move abroad in 2015, despite never being charged over claims he put his hand up a girl’s skirt in 1974.
It emerged he spent his final days singing in Spanish karaoke bars after being left suicidal following his arrests on sex abuse allegations.
His pal Jim Davidson said the comic was left “broken” by the police probe, adding: “He told them he was going to kill himself and that he was going to eat concrete.”
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Starr was arrested four times between 2012 and 2014 under Operation Yewtree — the investigation into allegations of historic sex abuse against celebrities including Jimmy Savile – before being released without charge.
The dad-of-six first got married at 17 and had a son, but divorced Betty after 12 years. He then got hitched to second wife Sandy, with whom he had three more children.
He married Donna, before then marrying Sophie Lea, now 37, in 2013 before they separated.
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