A FORMER welder who found fame and fortune through his uncanny similarity to the legendary Roy Orbison has died after a fight against cancer.

From the age of 18, people would tell Gerry Grant he was the spitting image of the legendary singer.

When he finally saw the Big O perform on television, he was blown away by the singer's voice – and then discovered he could sing exactly like Orbison too.

His talent took him from Kidsgrove to all over Europe, where he performed as Gerry 'Orbison' Grant, often with backing band The Show Stoppers, one of the very first tribute acts as well as one of the best.

Fellow entertainer Pete Conway, father of Robbie Williams, was a long-standing friend and worked with Gerry many times.

He said: "He lived, slept and breathed Roy Orbison. I remember going round to his place one morning and as I approached I thought, 'I know where he is', because I could hear Roy Orbison playing. When I knocked on the door, the record stopped – it was Gerry playing guitar and singing. That's how close he got to the real thing.

"He was a tribute act before tributes were fashionable."

Music promoter Mike Lloyd said: "He was a fantastic singer. There are lots of look-a-likes, but there are very few that can replicate Roy Orbison's voice, because it was so unusual.

"Tribute acts were not big in those days. It is only in the last 15 years they have taken off."

Pat Leyland, former press officer at the Theatre Royal in Hanley, was friends with Gerry for many years.

She said: "Gerry was a gentleman – a lovely, lovely man. He was one of those artists everyone liked."

Gerry's similarity to Orbison was first noticed aged 18, when he worked as a welder in Kidsgrove and wore dark prescription glasses.

He learned to play guitar and would practise Orbison songs in a shed.

He was discovered on a night out in Stoke-on-Trent.

A club compere asked if anyone in the audience could sing or tell jokes and a friend shouted: "We've got Roy Orbison here". Gerry got up on stage, sang three songs and brought the house down.

He was offered a job on the spot and six months later had quit welding and was performing six nights a week as Roy Orbison in pubs and clubs. TV appearances, including on Stars In Their Eyes, followed, along with bookings across Europe.

The former Clough Hall School pupil would often bet mistaken for Roy Orbison on the streets and even won the approval of the man himself after meeting him at a Manchester nightclub.

School friend Doug Viles, aged 64, of Kidsgrove, said: "Nothing was serious with Gerry. Everything was a joke to him. Even when he knew he was dying of cancer, he would still make a joke of it.

"He was such a popular person in Stoke-on-Trent – lots of people knew him."

After living in Kidsgrove, Newcastle and Biddulph, Gerry retired to Northern Ireland five years ago with his wife Annette.

He died last week in his home in County Down at the age of 64, after a battle with stomach cancer.

Annette, aged 52, said: "He was happy in Ireland. We met when he was on tour in Ireland and I lived in Biddulph with him for 15 years. He was great fun. I loved his music and his personality. He was brilliant."