SHIRLEY Crabtree was born in Halifax, Yorkshire, on November 14, 1937, and changed his name to Big Daddy, the children’s favourite.
He became a professional wrestler and began his great feuds with the infamous Giant Haystacks on ITV Sport.
He formed some wonderful tag team partnerships with, among others, Sammy Lee, Tony St Clair, Alan Kilby, Marty Jones, Johnny Saint, Alan Dennison, Kid Chocolate, John Naylor and The Royal Brothers .
Apart from the wrestling, he appeared in Tiswas, This is Your Life with Eamonn Andrews and had his own television series for a short time.
Big Daddy was the wrestling children’s icon throughout the Seventies and Eighties on ITV Sport.
He is much missed by all grapple fans.
Terry Christie, Sunderland
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