I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't know him well, but living where I do had run into him any number of times over the years; only once outside licensed premises, I think, and that was on the way into one. He was a colourful character, and a fine entertainer at his best. He will certainly be missed, and not soon forgotten. His Hovis ad spoof was a classic of its kind, but he could play the straight stuff too.

The song you're thinking of is They don't write them like that anymore.