TRIBUTES have been left to a much loved Malvern man who shared a laugh with all he met.

Carl Taylor passed away last month (November), but a measure of the impression he made during his life can be judged by the fact that hundreds of people turned out for his funeral.

His son Steven Taylor said: "He was a wonderful man, and father, and he will be sadly missed by everyone.

"A lot of people recognised him around the town because of all the different things he used to, so he was very loved and known.”

Carl grew up in Solihull, before his family moved to Ledbury where he attended John Masefield High School.

After his time in Ledbury, he followed his family to Malvern where he has lived since.

Carl was an accomplished organ player, and carrying on his passion for music, he did a lot of work as DJ in both towns.

It was Malvern that he set up his own courier business, and among his clients were Newsquest Midlands, for which he delivered the Gazette for more than 20 years.

He continued to work as a DJ, playing tunes at The Cross Keys and working as a barman too, and it was here he made many friends.

His health deteriorated so he turned to sports writing.

He was an avid motorsport, football and cricket fan- especially of his beloved Birmingham City FC and Warwickshire County Cricket Club.

He worked as a contributor for sport media outlets "Last Word O0n Sports", "Motorsport.com" and others.

As well as his passion for sports, Carl was also a keen quizzer, and was part of The Cross Keys quiz team too.

Tony Wilson, his stepfather, said: "He was very well known and had a lot of friends through all the things he did.

"He had a great sense of humour and knowledge of the world.

The funeral was beautiful and the turnout shows how highly he was regarded."

Carl died on November 12, at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, aged 49.

He had contracted phenomena and suffered multiple organ failure.

His funeral went ahead at Worcester Crematorium.