Tributes have been paid to an elderly amateur actor who died after a seaside accident.

John Sellicks, 81, from Folkestone, was one of the best known amateur actors in Kent.

In a career spanning 65 years he made more than 300 hundred appearances in plays and musicals across the county.

Mr Sellicks is thought to have died after suffering a heart attack and falling over a seafront barrier between Sunny Sands and Copt Point, Folkestone.

His body was discovered on rocks close to the water's edge by a walker and was recovered by an RNLI lifeboat crew.

The news of his death has devastated the amateur dramatics community. Fellow actor and life-long friend John Elgar, from Ashford, said: "John lived and breathed the theatre and was an extremely talented man.

"He will be sorely missed in our lives and in the life of local theatre all over Kent."

~ Read more about John's life on the Kentish Express website >>>