Steve Evans loses battle with stomach cancer

Father-of-two, Steve Evans, lost his battle with inoperable stomach cancer at the age of 52. He passed away in his sleep on 16 January.

A former building surveyor, Steve gained over 25,000 supporters on Twitter, and worked as a magician and a compére of stand-up comedy at Wolverhampton Civic.

In a final interview with Richard Bacon on his Radio 5 Live show, Steve said:

Despite this, he remained, as Bacon put it, "extraordinarily positive". It was "this sense of joy" that saw him gain the support of BBC's Breakfast listeners, as well as thousands of others all around the world. Staff at the Civic even honoured him with a space on the wall of fame alongside Led Zeppelin drummer Jon Bonham, and Slade frontman Noddy Holder.

During the interview, he spoke fondly of his friends and family; his wife, Septina and his best friend, John Price:

Since last April, Mr Bacon has regularly had Steve on his show, and the two have developed a friendship. Mr Bacon said: "I'm very proud to be your friend"

Steve had only believed he would make it to April 2013 but was overjoyed to have spent Christmas with his wife Septina and their daughters Megan, 25, and Lauren, 20, at home in Old Fallings Lane.