I last saw him two years ago in Manchester, and I was staggered by his energy - I thought how well he seemed and how little had changed in terms of his amazing stage performances.

I am shocked by his death - he seemed so youthful for a man his age, and given that he seemed to have led such a clean life, it seemed unlikely he wouldn't see old age. I had no idea he had any particular health issues, other than the hip problem, mention of which I'd seen here and in the media.

I don't think I ever felt I "knew" him - I think even to some of his close associates, he was probably at times unknowable. I got the feeling he was an intensely private person across the board. So much about him was mysterious, even his death, and that will probably leave many unanswered questions. U

I have the utmost sympathy for his suffering and I can well believe he was able to keep it hidden.

Even if he was addicted to recreational drugs (and I don't believe he was), it would make no difference to me. I loved him unconditionally and always will, I didn't have to know everything about him then and I don't now. His mystique was something very attractive to me. In a world where over sharing of everything has reached uber proportions, his desire for privacy was yet another thing that placed him apart from most celebrities.