PIERS Morgan led tributes tonight to cricket legend David English who has died aged 76.
English, the former manager of the Bee Gees who raised £17million through his Bunbury cricket charity, died following a major heart attack.
Sharing a photo of English alongside Sky News’ Mark Austin, the TalkTV host paid tribute to a “brilliantly entertaining” man.
Piers said: “Had many of the funniest days of my life @HomeOfCricket with this wonderfully ebullient & brilliantly entertaining character.
“A great cricket man whose @BunburyCricket festival developed so many England stars, who all loved him. Very sad news.”
England T20 captain Jos Buttler also paid tribute to “one of life’s great characters”.
Buttler said: “So sad to hear the news of David English passing away.
“One of life’s great characters, so fun to spend time with and producer of some of the best English cricketers through his wonderful Bunbury Festivals. RIP.”
Bunbury Cricket runs an annual tournament for the best under-15 boys players in England.
More than 100 England cricketers, including Joe Root and Ben Stokes, have played in the tournament.
A string of other famous faces have also walked out for the Bunburys celebrity team over the years, including Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman and former Newcastle United manager Joe Kinnear.
Footie pundit Gary Lineker said he was “terribly sad” to learn of the passing of “such a charismatic man”.
He joined The Sun’s cricket correspondent John Etheridge who tweeted: “Very sad to hear that David English, one of cricket’s greatest and funniest characters and founder of the Bunburys, has passed away. RIP Loon.”
Former England cricketer Owais Shah told of his sadness following English’s death, saying: “Sad times for English cricket…He was an absolute legend of a man…. RIP great man.”
David had suffered a heart attack on November 1 and his condition spiralled.
A tweet on Bunbury Cricket’s Twitter page on Saturday told how doctors had removed life support on Thursday afternoon after reporting “no brain activity”.
They added he “was not going to survive” but was in “no pain and will pass peacefully when his body is ready to do so”.
In a wide ranging career David English also appeared in Emmerdale and Casualty.
And he worked for RSO Records, signing artists including the Bee Gees and Eric Clapton.
England cricket legend Ian Botham was English’s best man at his wedding to Robyn.
