THE oldest swinger in town -- Al Jolson impersonator Fred Coughlin-- has died at the age of 80, one year after his final performance.

Mr Coughlin performed in front of thousands of people and raised cash for charities across the country.

He died almost a year to the day after a special St George's Day performance.

The show took place in front of 120 people as an advance celebration of his 80th birthday on June 10.

Niece Sue Coughlin said: "I was a great fan of his singing and he was a wonderful, fantastic man.

"He loved performing in front of people."

The tribute singer died in Blackburn Royal Infirmary on Easter Saturday after suffering a heart attack the day before.

His dying wish was for his border collie, Volga, to be looked after.

Sue said: "He loved animals and he would go out early in the morning to feed wild birds and he had been feeding a stray cat for the past two-and-a-half years."

Fred, formerly of Hilton Road, Darwen, had been organising charity concerts for 62 years.

His rich baritone voice earned him a career as a club singer and, at his peak he performed in front of 3,000 people in 1978.

Fred suffered a stroke 18 months ago and was confined to a mobility scooter as he could only walk 30 feet.

His last major public performance was at the Cenotaph in Darwen Circus on November 11 where he performed songs from the 1940s to commemorate those who died in World War One.

Charities benefited from Fred's voice and he raised money for Derian House Children's Hospice as well as supporting Churches Together in Lancashire.

The singer wore trademark white gloves and suit and his voice was similar to the 'World's Greatest Entertainer', Al Jolson, the singer whose career spanned 50 years of American music history. His blackened face earned him the the reputation as Broadway's most charismatic performer and he recorded more than 200 songs and featured in 11 films.