TRIBUTES have been paid to a popular Weymouth entertainer who was known as 'Mr Music Hall'.

Harold Crump, whose stage name was Harold Cordell, died aged 86 at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester on January 31 surrounded by his family. His funeral will be held tomorrow.

Harold leaves his wife Daphne, son Brian and daughter Lisa.

Brian said: "Dad was a very kind gentleman. He always took pride in everything, especially his appearance, and wouldn't leave the house without wearing a tie."

Mr Crump's 50 year career in entertaining began in 1957 aged 25. He went on to befriend fellow entertainer David Fowler, who introduced him to his future wife, Daphne Gill.

Mr Fowler was best man when Mr Crump married Daphne in 1961. Mr Crump and Mr Fowler then put on shows together.

Having invested £21 in a ventriloquist's dummy – a cheeky chap known as Jimmy Green – Mr Crump made his first TV appearance in 1961 on Home Grown and dressed as a Canadian Mountie to perform a ventriloquist routine with Ginger the cowboy.

Brian said: "Dad always loved having a joke and was very outgoing and always liked to socialise with people. He was very creative and handmade most of his ventriloquist figures himself."

Mr Crump, who had a full-time job as a laboratory mechanic, regularly performed at Weymouth Pavilion as a ventriloquist and was also a compere. Before compering 1968 summer Sunday night shows he adopted the stage name 'Cordell'.

He introduced an array of stars including Margo Henderson, Tony Melody, Dick Emery, Billy J. Kramer, Nancy Whiskey, Ray Alan, Arthur English and Acker Bilk.

In 1971, Mr Crump won a talent show at Butlins in Minehead and three years later began his popular Weymouth music hall show. The show was so successful that it ran for 33 years and attracted three royal visitors – Princess Anne in 1989 and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 1986.

Mr Crump's annual show became the longest running amateur old time music hall in a 1,000 seater theatre in the country and more than £150,000 was raised at his shows for charity.

In 2007 Mr Crump staged his last variety and music hall show at Weymouth Pavilion.

Three years ago he was diagnosed with vascular dementia and Alzheimer's but would still take daily trips with his wife to Costa coffee shop in Weymouth town centre, where he befriended the staff and other customers. Towards the end of his life Mr Crump enjoyed walking around Weymouth harbour and attending dementia-friendly screenings at the Rex Cinema in Wareham, where he would particularly enjoy watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals.

A collection box has been set up at Costa Weymouth in Mr Crump's name to raise money for the Royal British Legion. As life vice president of the Weymouth branch, Mr Crump would annually lay a wreath at the D-Day remembrance service in Weymouth.

* Mr Crump's funeral is being held at St Nicholas Church, Buxton Road, Weymouth tomorrow at 11am. Everyone is welcome and there will be refreshments at the church following the service.