His boyhood memoirs Weerz Me Dad have sold over 25,000 copies so far.

But he was also a skilled artist.

Fred, tragically killed last September after falling from a block of flats, loved to draw pictures of actors, politicians and entertainers.

He would get them autographed and framed.

Now his widow Sandra is moving house and, while she can't bear to part with them, most will have to go into storage.

Fred's eldest son Mark says: "My mom won't contemplate selling them but as things stand they are destined to rest unseen and in storage in my garage, who seems a great pity.

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"They include Elton John, Billy Connolly, Laurence Olivier, Nelson Mandela, Marvin Hagler and many more. There must be 50 at least."

Now the family is wondering whether any organisation would like to exhibit the drawings in an exhibition.

Fred, who raised over £35,000 for St Luke's Hospice with his books, once had an exhibition at the Crucible.

"He once got hate mail when he was in The Star proudly showing a portrait of Mrs Thatcher which he had autographed," says Mark.

"The irony of it was that Fred was about as left wing as Arthur Scargill!"

There's a fascinating tale behind the drawing of Hagler, one of the first Fred did, when his eyesight was far better than it later became.

"Hagler was in London in preparation for his world middleweight title fight with Alan Minter," says Mark.

"Fred set out tracing Hagler, then a relatively unknown challenger and found he was staying in the Dorchester and actually got to speak to the great man and he promised to autograph it.

"The drawing was returned on the day before the fight signed "from the NEW world champion, Marvellous Marvin Hagler."

Inquiries about showing the drawings to Mark on 0114 285 5424.


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