The showbusiness world has been celebrating the life of Frank Carson who has died at the age of 85.

The Belfast-born comedian, who underwent an operation for stomach cancer last year, died surrounded by his family at his home in Blackpool.

The comic, famous for his catchphrase "It's a cracker", rose to fame in the 1960s after winning talent show Opportunity Knocks three times, and went on to appear in The Comedians and Tiswas.

His friend and television presenter Eamonn Holmes said: "The term legend is often overused - but Frank Carson was a legend and we will never ever see his like again."

Comedian Ken Dodd described his "good friend" as a "jolly jester" who had the "fantastic gift of making people happy". Speaking of their working relationship, the Liverpudlian, who first met Carson in the 1960s, added: "He had a big, warm personality and was a wonderful man who was a joy to work with."

Chris Tarrant, who appeared alongside Carson on Tiswas, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "He was the funniest man I have met in my life and would tell jokes relentlessly - there was not anyone like him."

Sir Bruce Forsyth told ITV News: "The only trouble with Frank, as far as I'm concerned, is that he made me laugh too much.

"He'll be remembered as the one and only Frank Carson - the man who loved to make people laugh."

Frank's son Tony Carson paid his own heartfelt tribute to his father and said the family felt it was only right that he was buried in his home town of Belfast. "He was good dad, right up to the end he was very good," said his son.

"He just had such a positive outlook on everything. There was definitely a child within and he just wanted to have fun and give fun to everybody."