10 MARCH 2003
British TV presenter Cilla Black was among the celebrities to express their sadness after the death of singer-actor Adam Faith, who died of a heart attack on Saturday, aged 62.

The entertainment veteran said she was "shocked and saddened" at the sudden passing of her fellow Sixties icon. "Adam Faith was a pioneer in pop music and a great actor," she said. "My thoughts are with his wife and daughter at this difficult time."

Former Radio 1 DJ Tony Blackburn remembered the star as "the most friendly person I think I have ever known". "He just put everything he had into what he was doing at the time," he said, adding: "He was just so nice. There was no ego there."

Adam's agent Alan Field praised the late pop singer's ability to relate to people of all walks of life. "It could be a taxi driver in the street or a member of royalty – he was able to communicate with everybody at every level and he was respected and loved by them all."

Meanwhile, a representative for the Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford, where the actor was performing in Love And Marriage at the time of his death, said the play would continue as a "tribute" to the star. "It was agreed that this is what Adam would have wanted – that 'the show must go on'," said the spokesperson.