One of the most flamboyant and loved of Manchester's famous faces in recent memory was undoubtedly Frank Pearson, aka Foo Foo Lammar.
Born in Ancoats and the son of a rag-and-bone man, Frank Pearson helped build Manchester's reputation as Britain's gay capital. As well as running clubs, including his iconic Foo Foo’s Palace in Dale Street, Frank worked tirelessly fundraising for charities such as the Christie, where he was treated for cancer before his death on November 7, 2003, aged 65.
It’s now been 19 years since Frank died but his legacy still resonates across the city and beyond. But to ex-partner Alan Owen, who spoke to the MEN in 2018, the man behind the glitzy costume and make-up was just a regular guy with a big heart.
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Alan said: "Frank was just a normal guy, and very generous. You couldn’t ask for a better guy. He was the most down to earth person you’ll ever meet.
"But don’t be fooled, if you took the mick out of him, he would smack you with his handbag."
Born in 1938, Frank left school at 15 with no qualifications, but the boom of drag acts in the 1960s around the north west fuelled his desire for a career in the entertainment industry. Being a drag queen in the tough pub culture of east Manchester was a brave career choice.
Though Frank was a handy boxer who did not hesitate to stand up for himself when the occasion demanded. Borrowing his stage name from Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr, he began singing in clubs and pubs while also holding down a day job as general manager of a waste paper recycling plant.
One notorious story tells of Frank's dad famously throwing a bar stool at his own son after witnessing dressed in women's clothes spread atop a piano in the Ancoats Arms. In 1971, Frank bought his first club, the Picador in Shudehill, followed by the Celebrity, which became Foo Foo's Palace in Dale Street, the venue which played host to hundreds of stag nights and hen parties over the years.
Alan said: "Foo Foo’s was an institution. It was an atmosphere like no other.
"Then there was the Ranch Bar, next door, which was a punk club that hosted the likes of Pete Shelley's band Buzzcocks. Frank also had Monroe's. I worked in his many venues over the years, there was never a dull moment."
Recently, a new collection of photographs have been unearthed from the 1980s and 1990s showing Frank's life away from the limelight. The images show the entertainer Frank relaxing inside his beautiful home as well as the love he obviously shared with his boxer dogs.
Click through the gallery below to see the recently unearthed images of Frank's life away from the limelight
It wasn’t just Manchester's gay scene that Frank set alight. He was a regular on TV chat shows and also hosted segments on the Men and Motors channel, including Hot Agony Aunt, which saw him give questionable advice about viewers’ problems.
Frank also recorded an LP, My Life at the Palace, and a single, Around the Old Camp Fire. An autobiography followed, entitled I Am What I Am, which had an introduction by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Recently, a post on popular Facebook group We Grew Up In Manchester, showed that memories of Frank and 'Foo Foo' are still close to Manchester people's hearts. After a pic of his legendary venue Foo Foo's Palace was posted, people took to the comments to share their favourite memories.
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Sharon Kim Roberts, said: "Absolutely loved Foo Foo's. Was such fun nights there and Frank was a gem. So many great memories."
Tracy Gardner, said: "Best night out EVER!! Any excuse we would be there! I was up on stage with him for my 21st and my hen do. My mum was up with him for her 50th. Frank was a true entertainer."
Sharon Carter, posted: "First time i ever went here, I was dating his nephew and at the end of the show we sat with Foo Foo. I was shocked at how gorgeous he was without make-up. Lovely down to earth guy."
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Pamela J Skachill shared a lovely personal story about Frank. She said: "Frank was at my wedding in 1968 - he and my mam were good friends. I never saw Frank dressed as a woman till my daughter's hen party in his club - he asked me what I thought and I said you look great, but you've got really big feet. He laughed and laughed."
Christopher Daly also shared another wonderful personal anecdote, posting: "[I] saw him a couple of times over the years in his car. Last time I saw him was about 2001, I was driving a 192 bus in from Hazel Grove. There was a diversion on that took me past his club; I stopped outside his club to let a bus full of moaning passengers off, he came up the club steps in his gear thinking it was a coach party!!!"
Meanwhile, Babsy Coomo, remembering some of his wickedest putdowns, commented: "He always used to say to anyone who dared to have a pop at him - 'You always get one prick in a bunch of roses,' 'Look at her frock, like snot on a wall'. 'She's flattened some grass,' 'Foo Foo's netball team, that's a lot of balls."
Adding: "Lovely Frank. I used to see him tending his mum's grave as my family members are buried in the same area. Rip Frank."
Other favourite memories included Foo Foo's 'Dance of the ruptured cucumber', but the overwhelming memories were those of Frank's generosity and brilliance as an entertainer.
Frank's funeral was attended by some of the city's most famous faces. Friends including Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Royle Family actress Sue Johnson and former United and England star Bryan Robson OBE gave readings at the service, which was broadcast to thousands who lined the street outside to pay their respects.
Other mourners included TV presenter Jeremy Beadle, and a host of Coronation Street stars, past and present. Frank's partner for 29-years, Billy Hughes, said: "Coming to terms with losing my partner of so many years will be the hardest thing I have ever had to face."
Do these images awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
The couple went through a civil partnership ceremony six-months before Frank's death - the nearest the law allowed to a gay marriage at the time, which didn't become legal in England until 2014. He added: "The loss is incalculable. Frank battled to the very end. I feel privileged to have been part of his life for so long."
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