Geoff Wonfor: Tributes to Beatles, Band Aid and The Tube director
- Published
Musicians and actors have paid tribute to Grammy-winning filmmaker Geoff Wonfor who has died aged 73.
The Newcastle-born director's works included the Beatles Anthology series, 80s pop show The Tube and music video Band Aid 20 in 2004.
His close friend and musician Ray Laidlaw described him as a "man of the people" and an "incredible talent".
Presenter Denise Welch praised Wonfor as a "wonderful father, grandfather and friend" and a "North East Titan".
His family said he was a "huge presence with a heart to match" and a "world class filmmaker" who "leaves behind an amazing body of work".
Laidlaw, from the band Lindisfarne, said he had known Wonfor since they were in their early 20s and the director was an "amazing inspiration" to him.
"He had an amazing zest for life and was a wonderful bloke to be around," he told BBC Look North.
"[He was] So creative and a man of the people... he would be much happier being with the crew in the pub."
TV presenter Welch tweeted she was "so, so sad to hear of the death of the legend".
Filmmaker Ray Spencer recalled Wonfor was "always warm, generous and what stories he could tell".
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In 1997, Wonfor won a Grammy award for best music video for the Beatles Anthology, an eight-part TV series chronicling the history of the band.
He spent five years on the project and subsequently worked on a number of music videos with Sir Paul McCartney.
Actor Tim Healy, who worked with the director on the Sunday for Sammy charity events, said he was "a genius director, soul mate and joy to be with".
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In 1977 Wonfor spent spent four days following Muhammad Ali around during his tour of Britain.
He previously told the BBC: "It was amazing, the greatest thrill of my life. We didn't know what to expect we never dreamed there would be crowds like that, it was immense.
"I couldn't believe the size of him, like a brick outhouse, but so gentle and he did everything that was expected of him."
In a statement, the filmmaker's daughter Sam said: "We are devastated to have lost our Dad and Gramps and are finding it impossible to imagine a world without him in it.
"He was a one-off - a huge presence with a heart to match.
"His warmth, humour and encyclopaedic capacity for remembering jokes of all qualities ensured people who met him rarely forgot him - and that has been borne out by the wave of wonderful messages and tributes we've received since his passing.
"He loved what he did and we're so very grateful he got to continue doing it to the end."
He leaves behind daughters Abi and Sam and grandchildren, Ami, Amba, Amaaya, Fred and Georgie.
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