The wife of a man who died after being hit by a train on Friday has paid tribute to a “much-loved father and husband”.

John Mullis, 84, died in an incident at Ashford International railway station.

Scheherazade Pesante, who runs The Great Tree pub, and was married to Mr Mullis for 28 years, has spoken about her grief.

She said: “This man brought so much joy to people’s lives.

“We are going to have a memorial service in London and in Ramsgate as well.

“He loved both places and was loved in both places.”

Ms Pesante, 54, believes Mr Mullis, who had dementia, Parkinson’s disease and cataracts, woke up in confusion and got off a train at Ashford instead of staying on until London.

She said: “He was not supposed to be there.

“He was on his way back to see his daughter, she was waiting for him to arrive at St Pancras.”

However, when he did not show up his daughter became concerned and contacted Ms Pesante to see if she could find where he was by tracking his phone, which showed that he was at Ashford International.

Mr Mullis was the joint director of Opera UK and was instrumental in helping to bring younger people to theatres and stages.

'He watched every performance as if it was the very first time he was watching it. Everyone loved him' - Scheherazade Pesante

He split his time between Ramsgate, where he lived with his wife, and London, where he spent time with one of his daughters.

Ms Pesante said: “His aim in life was to bring new talent to the stage.

“He watched every performance as if it was the very first time he was watching it.

"Everyone loved him, so many people have written to me about him.”

She added that she would publish the letters that have been sent to her in a book on Amazon.

When asked how much the tributes meant to her, she said: “I cannot put that into words.

“It is something that brings him back to life.

“For that one moment when people are talking about him he is here and he is alive.”

Mr Mullis leaves two daughters and two sons.

A report has been passed to the coroner and a date is yet to be confirmed for the opening of the inquest.