Just caught up with this 'news' . Better late than never. I havent seen him since the mid-seventies, when I left Manchester, where he and I hung out at various folk clubs, singalongs, pubs and 'events'. I notice, no-one mentioned his talent for oil painting, Steam Engines at night as I recall. Another thing was his tenacity at worrying the establishment, I recall the BBC not only had a file of his letters, but they had their own drawer. I think Granada, the MEN, also probably did as well.
So sad, but boy was it good while it lasted !