Popular 96-year-old wing-walker Tom Lackey dies

A popular 96-year-old wing-walker, who raised more than £1.5million for charity during his life, has died.

Tom Lackey, from Shirley near Solihull, only started wing-walking in his 80s, to raise money for cancer charities after his wife Isabel died.

The former builder always carried a photograph of his beloved wife on every stunt he did.

His first wing-walk was atop a Boeing Stearman bi-plane, despite his wife not approving of his flying. Tom said he wanted to prove to her that he could do it.

We went along to one of his wing-walks in 2011. See him in action:

His older brother Harold was an RAF bomber crewman killed in 1940 during the Battle of Britain.

In 2005, Tom entered the Guinness Book of Records after becoming the oldest person to undertake a loop-the-loop and wing-walk across the English channel, aged 85.

He also wing-walked the 81-minute flight across the Irish Sea when he was 93, breaking his own world record for the oldest wing-walker.

ITV News Central last spoke to him when he was planning to wing-walk in memory of teenage fundraiser, Stephen Sutton.

Mr Lackey was also recognised as fundraiser of the year at the Pride of Britain awards in 2011.

Tom died in December at The Priory Nursing and Residential Home in Monkspath and his funeral took place at Robin Hood Cemetery and Crematorium on 17 January.

His friend, Alan Akerman, and wife Olive, knew Tom for around 15 to 20 years.