Gerry Marsden: Liverpool anthem singer 'made his mark on Earth'

Gerry Marsden "made his mark on planet Earth" with football anthem You'll Never Walk Alone, Liverpool FC's stadium announcer has said in tribute.

The Gerry and the Pacemakers singer died aged 78 on Sunday after a short illness not linked to Covid-19.

Anfield stadium announcer George Sephton said Marsden was a "little bundle of joy".

Former Liverpool captain Phil Thompson said he was "a large part of people's lives".

You'll Never Walk Alone became a football terrace anthem for Marsden's hometown club soon after it topped the charts in 1963.

It is also played at clubs across the world, most notably at Celtic and Borussia Dortmund in Germany.

Mr Sephton, 75, told BBC Radio Merseyside that Marsden was a "huge part of Liverpool football club" for more than 50 years.

He said You'll Never Walk Alone meant so much to Liverpool fans, as well as Celtic and Dortmund supporters.

The veteran stadium announcer also said he had received messages from "devastated fans" from as far away as New Zealand.

"Gerry certainly made his mark on planet Earth," he said.

"He was such a lovely bloke and such a bundle of fun.

"You could never get the smile off his face ever. He was the life and soul of any room he walked into."

Former Reds captain Thompson, 66, said You'll Never Walk Alone was the "biggest anthem in football".

The ex-England defender said the song took on added significance after the 1989 Hillsborough disaster that claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans.

He said it was a "rallying call" but after the disaster "it was sang with more meaning and passion".

Hillsborough campaigner Margaret Aspinall, whose son James died in the disaster, said the anthem was "like a prayer to the families".

"It is a sad day. He was such a lovely man," she said.

"He sang You'll Never Walk Alone after the memorial service. For the families it was like a prayer to the 96."

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Chris Kirkland said he saw Marsden perform the song live at Anfield in 2019 with Take That.

"No-one knew he was coming on. But he came on with Take That and sang You'll Never Walk Alone, it is the best thing I have seen," he said.

"Anfield just erupted."

Marsden was made an MBE in 2003 for services to charity after supporting victims of the Hillsborough disaster.

Celtic and Dortmund also posted tributes to the singer whose band was one of the biggest success stories of the Merseybeat era.