Musician, comedy historian, legendary Manchester figure and much more CP Lee has died.

His wife Pam Lee wrote on Facebook that he had unexpectedly suffered a cardiac arrest. "Sadly, devastatingly, my best friend and life companion is gone. Soon after his arrival at Fred's in Levenshulme Chris collapsed. An ambulance was called. It arrived within 5 minutes and all efforts were made as they took him to the MRI but at 13:36 there was nothing the medical team could do to bring Chris back. He had a cardiac arrest; he couldn't have even know about it. He was in really good health and so happy to be meeting up with his chum John from Cherry Red Records who has helped me today. Love you forever Chris, Pam X"

Lee was one of the lynchpins of pioneering band Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias, who in the mid to late 1970s straddled rock, punk and variety with their high energy knockabout shows.

In later years he wrote and lectured regularly about the history of comedy and music hall. He was a major fan of controversial comedian Frank Randle, who was notoriously difficult and badly behaved offstage.

Lee's autobiography, When We Were Thin, was published in 2007.

He was born in Manchester in 1950.

Watch the Albertos below.