A friend of a man who died in a flat fire in Leeds has paid tribute, calling him an “icon” who had “strength, kindness and a huge heart”.
Maurice Richards was killed when flames took hold of his maisonette on Hardrow Road in Wortley on the morning of November 20.
Antony Newby is fundraising to help pay for funeral costs. He said: “Maurice was genuinely one of the nicest men you could ever meet.
“He looked after me for many years back in the ’90s when he was working as a doorman at The Warehouse and we lived just a few doors apart on the same estate. He was someone I looked up to and respected deeply.
“The tribute I posted about him reached over 200,000 people, with thousands of likes and comments most of them sharing their own memories of how Maurice had protected, helped or cared for them.
“Everyone remembers Big Morris. Everyone has a story about him. He was an icon in the rave scene and there are countless heartwarming stories from people whose lives he touched with his strength, kindness and huge heart.
“Because of the sheer number of lives he touched, his farewell will be a big one… because anything less simply wouldn’t reflect the man he was. Big love and big send off for Big Morris. “
Maurice’s young brother Daniel, added: “A lot has happened and there is so much to sort and process. I come to you in mourning and with a heavy heart.
“There have been so many words of kindness, well wishes and tributes on social media, thousands of them.
“Maurice was a family man, a shoulder to lean on, a protector of people. A legend in his own lifetime, not just in Leeds but around the country.
“The consuming flames will never erase the memory of the man we know and love.”
The emergency services were called to the address shortly after 9.30am on November 20 to a report of an ongoing fire affecting two adjacent properties.
A woman in the upper maisonette flat was left in a critical condition and remains in hospital.
Sadly, 64-year-old Maurice was confirmed to have died a short time later.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover funeral costs.
Around £2,300 has already been raised, with a target set at £6,500. To donate click here.
Source – Yorkshire Evening Post