POP star Billy Fury died 17 years ago, but his legend lives on thanks to estate agent Peter Davies.

Peter, who runs the Sound of Fury fan club in memory of Billy, is spearheading a campaign to have his idol immortalised in the form of a bronze statue overlooking the River Mersey.

Peter, of Great Harwood, has devoted much of his time in recent years collecting information for the fan club's quarterly magazine, trawling the country to collect memorabilia about Fury, who hit his peak during the 1960s.

He even arranges to meet up to 150 fellow members of the fan club three times a year at Mill Hill Cemetery, North London, where Billy is buried.

Peter said: "It may sound a little morbid but we usually have tea and cakes. Even his mother and sister often attend. Billy's contribution to British popular music in the 1960s was immense and he still has a devoted following particularly in the North West. His stage presence was dynamic, and unlike many of the singers at the time he wrote and sang his own music." Along with his fellow fans, Peter is now working on a biography of Billy's life and career, and they are now looking for information on the star whose life sized bronze statue is planned for the Albert Docks area.

Peter added: "The man doing the statue is Tom Murphy, who did the Bill Shankly and Hillsborough memorials. The statue would be a fitting tribute to his life and would reflect the happiness he brought to a lot of people."

Billy had 11 top 10 hits between 1960 and 1965, including Halfway to Paradise which was in the charts for 23 weeks from May 11 1961 and peaked at number three, and I'd Never Find Another You, which hit number five and had 15 weeks in the charts from December 14 1961. His album, Billy, was in the charts for 21 weeks in 1963.