FOLLOWERS of the Merseybeat sound were in mourning yesterday following the death of one of its most famous sons.
Freddie Garrity, lead singer with Freddie and the Dreamers, died aged 69 on Friday, following a long illness.
His five-piece band, which has a star on the Cavern Wall of Fame, had hits at home and abroad with I'm Telling You Now and You Were Made For Me.
Spencer Leigh, presenter of Radio Merseyside's On The Beat, said, although Mr Garrity hailed from Manchester, his trademark humour made him a favourite on the 1960s Liverpool music scene.
He told the Daily Post: "He was a very difficult person to interview because he never took things seriously. You couldn't ask him a serious question and get a serious answer.
"He was someone who was exuberant and full of fun, and for that reason, he came along at the right time in the 1960s.
"It was just right for a personality like that to be there, in contrast to bands like The Animals and the Rolling Stones.
Mr Leigh added: "These were the days before the music video, but he had the idea of being very visual even then.
"He had the idea of selling each record with a different sort of dance, and it made his television appearances very special."
Mr Garrity, who lived in Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, was on holiday with his wife, Christine, in Wales when he was taken to hospital.
