Comic-poet was just 44

Bolton comedy legend Hovis Presley has died, several weeks after slipping into a coma.

The much-respected poet and stand-up lost consciousness after suffering a heart attack in late April. He was 44.

Promoter Toby Hadoke paid tribute to the ‘Bard of Bolton’, saying: ‘He was a lugubrious genius  and one of the most resepcted acts on the Manchester circuit from its inception.’

Presley was a much-loved  face in the North-West, inspiring  many comics to launch their careers in stand-up and teaching comedy to drama students.

Though mainly a live performer, he also made appearances on the John Shuttleworth Show, the Mark Radcliffe Show  and the recent BBC3 poetry show Whine Gums.

He ran what was billed as an ‘alternative to alternative comedy clubs’ at the Balmoral Hotel in Bolton, and published a book entitled Poetic Off Licence.

One of his shorter poems was:

"I once spent an evening with Lola or Layla
She said make me breathless I hid her inhaler"

Published: 9 Jun 2005