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Glowing tributes have been paid to a popular busker who raised more than £50,000 for charity.

David Stokes was renowned for singing to shoppers and commuters in Metro stations, Gateshead town centre and Chester-le-Street for more than a decade.

Donning his infamous 'charity busker' T-shirt, the 77-year-old raised £53,000 for a number of local and national charities including People’s Kitchen and the British Red Cross through his church St Mark’s in Gateshead.

David could be heard belting out Elvis Presley and Dean Martin numbers, among others, despite being diagnosed with prostate cancer around five years ago.

(Image: Trinity Mirror)

David, from Bensham, had not been on the busking scene for the final few months of his life due to his deteriorating health.

He died peacefully at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Brother-in-law Alan Pitchford, 75, said: "David was a person who liked to give. He began singing for charity in his 60s and he loved it. He would be out there five or six days a week and so many charities benefited from his efforts.

"He's left a big hole in the family. He was always helpful and he will be sorely missed by a lot of people. He was well supported."

Scottish-born David moved to the North East with his family in the 1970s and was a carer for his late mother and brother.

He spent his working life as a bus conductor before retiring - a job which David enjoyed thoroughly.

Away from the microphone, his knowledge of the local bus routes meant he spent a lot of time exploring the North East using his bus pass.

His mum Peggy Stokes was sceptical about his plan to start busking in 2008 insisting it was 'begging'. She urged him to donate the money he earned to charity and he never looked back.

He will be fondly remembered primarily by commuters at Haymarket, Central and Monument Metro stations who contributed heavily to reaching his £53,000 total.

(Image: Trinity Mirror)

In his early years he would be seen playing the guitar, but those who spotted him more recently will have noticed this was traded in for a tablet linked up to a speaker to play his backing tracks.

David was unfazed by those who might laugh at him, believing his music was fit for the Queen.

Alan added: "I always thought he was brave to go out and sing in public. He once told the family that he was good enough to sing for the Queen.

"He was devastated he was in hospital when the Queen visited The Sage because he wanted to sing for her."

The People's Kitchen and the British Red Cross are among the grateful charities to benefit from David's fundraising.

Others include Oxfam, Mind, Salvation Army, Changing Lives, Gateshead Foodbank, British Heart Foundation, St Oswald's and Premier Christian Radio.

Trustee of The People’s Kitchen David Yellowley said: "We are very sad to hear of David’s passing and our condolences go out to his family.

"David has raised money to help us in the past and it’s people like him that make a real difference to the lives of others."

Members of the public are invited to attend David's funeral at Saltwell Crematorium on Tuesday, December 10 at 1pm.