JOHN Coates, who masterminded Malton’s annual pantomimes for more than 30 years, has died at the age of 73.

Known to generations of Malton & Norton performers and audiences as Mr Panto, he passed away on January 20, his death coinciding with the opening night of this year's pantomime, Jack And The Beanstalk, at the Milton Rooms.

Mr Coates moved to Malton from Scarborough in 1966 as a television technician and joined his wife Jackie in the Malton & Norton Amateur Operatic Society – now known as Malton & Norton Musical Theatre – in 1971.

He directed 24 pantos for the group between the 1970s and 2003 before giving up his active association that year on account of Parkinson’s Disease. Despite his illness, he continued to visit and lend his experience and support to many groups, including Malton & Norton Musical Theatre, Ryedale Youth Theatre and Malton District Male Voice Choir, of which he was a founding member.

Mr Coates also was a guiding light for many of the musical theatre society’s long-running stars. He was a close friend of celebrated Malton panto dame Fred Bower, a butcher by trade, who died in 2003, and as well as helping to promote the late dame's considerable pantomimic skills, he nurtured many young stage performers, some of whom went on to perform professionally.

In 2009, to mark the musical theatre society’s 60th anniversary, Mr Coates was presented with the prestigious Fred Bower Pantomime Trophy. He was praised as “a man who was always committed to a family-orientated society” – one of the main reasons, it was said, that Malton pantos have been so successful. Mr Coates himself said that “the thrill lay in the pure enjoyment of being together and having a good time”.

As well as being a skilled musical show and pantomime director, he was a fine actor and singer. He regularly played lead roles in society musical shows, among them Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady, Tevye in Fiddler On The Roof, the King in The King and I, Arthur in Camelot and Wild Bill Hickok in Calamity Jane.

Society chairman Anne Pegg said: "John will be remembered as the man who made Malton panto great. He was a legend in his own lifetime and a good person to boot. We will not forget him”.

Mr Coates is survived by his wife Jackie and son Robert, who are both talented musical performers. Jackie Coates was one of Malton’s best known panto comediennes for many years while musician and teacher Robert trained at the Royal Military School of Music and played with the REME Band.

Mr Coates's funeral will be held in St Michael’s Church, Malton Market Place, on Tuesday, January 31 at 2pm, followed by a reception in the Kirkham Henry Performing Arts Centre in Horsemarket Road, Malton.