ON this day in history, legendary English actor Sir Henry Irving died in Bradford during his farewell tour. 

It was Friday, October 13, 1905, when Irving suffered a stroke on stage at the Theatre Royal in Manningham.

The 67-year-old was taken to the foyer of the Midland Hotel, where he died shortly afterwards.

It was reported that his sudden death shocked and saddened the nation.

A plaque at the hotel commemorates Irving's death.

Regarded as the greatest actor of his generation, Irving was the first actor to be awarded a knighthood.

He is also believed to have been the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Working in the Victorian era, Irving was known as an actor-manager because he supervised sets, lighting, direction, casting, as well as playing leading roles, season after season at London's Lyceum Theatre.

In 2010, the Telegraph & Argus spoke to late actor Michael Sharvell-Martin, who spent decades collecting Irving memorabilia and trawling through archives tracing his career.

He said at the time: "He was a huge star - like the Laurence Olivier of his day.

"There were no films in those days, so you would get huge crowds of people turning up to see him perform."