The Horden pensioner still tours groups all over the country giving talks about his friend Gracie Fields.

Years after her death, John says it's a privilege and honour to keep Gracie's memory alive.

But there's one wish John has left which would complete the link.

CHRIS CORDNER found out more.

THE singer may be gone but the legend lives on.

No one is doing more to preserve the memory of "our Gracie" than Horden man John Taylor.

He travels every year with his wife Anne to tend the grave of the superstar in her resting place in Capri.

He gives talks all over the world on his friendship with Gracie and shows no signs of easing up.

John describes himself as "a geriatric on the wrong side of 75." His self assessment could not be further from the truth.

His memory is as bright as a button and he still gets to travel the world. He's given talks to groups in Malta as well as throughout Britain.

"I keep saying I am going to pack it in but I never do," says John. "I suppose I will one day."

It still raises a smile when John recalls the day he came home from one of his first meetings with Gracie.

She had been performing at Newcastle City Hall in 1947.

Fresh faced 17-year-old John met her back stage. She said she would call in to meet John at his home in east Durham on the way to her next singing venue.

John recalls: "I went home and told my parents Gracie Fields was coming to tea.

"My dad said 'oh yes, and I am going out with Betty Grable."

But sure enough Gracie called in to the Taylor family home. John recalls: "She stopped for two to three hours. She had a cup of tea and a sandwich."

John's life then took him to service with the Royal Navy from 1950 to 1952 where he worked in medical stores. Later in life, he worked as the head of the National Coal Board stores section based at Team Valley.
But the meetings with Gracie never stopped.

John recalled another of his meetings with the star while he was still serving in the Navy.

"She did a charity show in Portsmouth. She said 'come to meet mother and father'."

John got to meet Gracie's parents.

He remembers the conversation which followed when they arrived at Gracie's home.

"Gracie said 'mother, this is the latest boyfriend. Her mum said 'good God Gracie. they are getting younger'."

John and wife Anne enjoyed holidays at Gracie's home in Capri, Italy, for 30 years until she died from pneumonia in September 1979.

Anne and Gracie "got on like a house on fire", says John.

"They talked about liver and onions. One would say 'I like your frock'.

They would talk about going to the hairdressers and how to get rid of relatives when they stay too long."

John and Anne have been married for 45 years. She's a huge fan of Bing Crosby.

It was Gracie who provided Anne with a photo of her with the US legend.

John and Anne became regular visitors to Capri. It was the destination for their honeymoon.

He remembers the week that Gracie died.

"I was in contact with her on the Tuesday night. She was not very well. She said 'I will ring you tomorrow'."

Two days later, Gracie's husband Boris Alperovic rang John to tell him Gracie had passed away."

She died aged 81, on September 27, 1979.

"Two days after that, she was buried in a simple white tomb on the island of Capri.

"We went on holiday every year to see Boris until he died."

To this day, John and Anne have tended to Gracie's grave.

It's more than just a friendship. By giving public talks, it's John's chance to preserve the star's memory for future generations.

He explained: "Someone asked me in 1982 to talk about Gracie Fields.

They wanted to know what she was like.

"I have just completed my 300th talk and I am still doing them."

John, who is now in his 70s and living in Dene Terrace, had been a fan of the star since he first listened to her records on his grandmother's gramophone as a young boy in the 1930s.

The star proved such an impact in his life he named his Horden home Caprice, after the town where Gracie lived.

Giving talks in her memory is no hardship for John.

He says: "It is a great privilege and it all started from me asking for her autograph.

"I am very proud to do them and it keeps her memory alive."

But there's one last aim for John to achieve.

He explained: "I have every record and every film she ever made apart from one called Keep Smiling."

Do you have a copy?

And would you like John to give a talk at a meeting?

He can be contacted on (0191) 5864375.