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."
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