SHOCK AT WEST END ACTOR’S DEATH
Playwright says 50-year-old was ‘funny, generous and great company’
TRIBUTES have been paid to a ‘very talented actor’ who has was found dead at his North Staffordshire home.
Police discovered the body of 50-year-old Graham Reid after a friend raised the alarm during lockdown.
Mr Reid was better known by his stage named of Graham Martin in stage and acting circles. He toured the country in a number of well-known productions.
His credits include Blood Brothers, Batman, The Hollow and Sherlock Holmes, as well as Brighton Rock and Starlight Express, in the West End.
North Staffordshire playwright Tim Churchill has led tributes to his friend, and revealed he alerted the police after fearing something was wrong. The 49-year-old, from Stone, said: “I was going to go to his house even though the lockdown was in place because I had a bad feeling.
“We got delayed because we had to go and pick up some stuff from a pharmacy so I decided to ring the police. It was unlike him not to have not been on social media or anywhere online. I called the police and they went around.
“It was such a shock and it has knocked the wind out of me. I spent the rest of the day phoning everyone I knew who knew Graham because I didn’t want them finding out on social media.
“The last conversation with him was when I wanted to know whether he fancied doing a read-through of a play on Zoom and he said he would download the app and get back to me. He never did.”
Mr Reid had been acting professionally since the early 1990s. Mr Churchill added: “Graham was a very talented actor and he had a big heart. He was very interested in new talent coming through and would help any new actor just starting off in the job.
“He would give good advice and make them feel comfortable. He had a personal relationship with everybody and got on well with everyone. People would go to him if they had a problem, he was always a good listener and he was there to help people go through any auditions, speeches or scenes.
“It meant everything to him and he absolutely loved it. He was only happy when he was rehearsing or touring a show.”
Mr Churchill and Mr Reid shared the same dressing room for 11 years during their time on tour with Blood Brothers. He said: “Graham used to love taking ages to tell a story because he knew it would wind me up and he used to sing songs and purposefully get the lyrics wrong. He was very funny, generous, professional, and great company to be with.
Mr Reid’s funeral was held last week and broadcast online. Mr Churchill said: “It was a very small ceremony because of the lockdown rules.
“It was put on a webcast where hundreds of people watched it because I have been getting messages ever since from people saying how much they appreciated being able to be there online.”
Sean Jones first met Mr Reid in a waiting room at a Wizard of Oz audition. Their paths later crossed on a Blood Brothers tour. They also did panto together at the Mitchell Arts Centre, in Hanley.
The 49-year-old, from North Wales, said: “He was funny and kind and is missed by everyone. We would have birthday parties on tour and on my daughter’s fourth birthday party we decided to have an Alice in Wonderland-themed party for her and Graham dressed up as the white rabbit.
“He made me laugh the whole time. It was amazing.”
He added: “We were all hoping it was some sort of mistake when we heard about Graham. It’s a shocking time for everybody at the moment. Everybody’s life is either on hold or altered in some way and it’s very unfair that we never got to say a proper goodbye. He was a young man taken too soon.”
An inquest is set to be held into Mr Reid’s death. The cause of death has yet to be revealed but is not being treated as suspicious by Staffordshire Police.