SCARBOROUGH amusements arcade supremo Jimmy Corrigan has died at the age of 61, three weeks after being diagnosed with cancer.

Mr Corrigan, who owned Corrigan's amusement arcade in Foreshore Road, Scarborough, died at his home on Monday.

Tributes have been pouring in to his family from friends and those who knew him as a colourful figure in Scarborough's seafront community.

Born in Leeds, Mr Corrigan was a travelling showman when he first visited Scarborough as a member of a fairground family.

He stayed and over the years ran several different businesses in the town.

Mr Corrigan's son, also called James, paid tribute to his father: "I have had over 100 calls from all over the world. He was a very well thought of guy, he never realised how well thought of he was.

"I fully intend to carry on with work I promised him I would, not on a business level but personal; to get the best deal for Scarborough."

Scarborough MP Lawrie Quinn said Mr Corrigan had personified the town, being well-known throughout the local area, and also in the wider seaside community.

"I called him Mr Scarborough," he said. "He really was someone whose advice, consideration and opinion I did value, and he was very supportive in a non-partisan way.

"He did it from the perspective what was best for the community he really loved, which was Scarborough."

praised Mr Corrigan's generosity and modesty, saying he felt fortunate to have had the opportunity to know him.

"It's the end of an era," he said. "We will deeply miss him.

He added that he had spoken with Tourism Minister Janet Anderson about Mr Corrigan's death, as she had known the showman and his son James and benefited from their knowledge of tourism.