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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Steve Robson

The huge response to the road crash death of 'Mr Ibiza' Clive Pinnock

The enormous shrine outside Tesco Extra on Hyde Road in Gorton grows larger by the day.

Flowers, some spelling out the letters 'CP', are piled up high next to dozens of candles, balloons and teddies.

Printed pictures from days gone by are tied to the railings, as is a homemade wooden cross.

Day after day, mourners keep turning up to pay their respects and leave an offering, some even stop for pictures.

Shoppers can't help but notice the shrine in the heart of Gorton (MEN Media)

This has been the extraordinary response on the streets of this corner of inner city Manchester to the death of Clive Pinnock, a well-known clubland figure nicknamed 'Mr Ibiza'.

The 38-year-old father was riding a green Kawasaki motorbike on Hyde Road when it collided with a black BMW at around 5.15pm on April 8.

He suffered fatal injuries at the scene and died in hospital later that night.

Clive Pinnock, 38, died when his motorbike was involved in a collision with a BMW (Facebook/Instagram)

Within minutes of the crash, word had spread that Clive Pinnock was the victim.

At a time when deaths from coronavirus are mourned every week in Greater Manchester, his death has triggered a public reaction of a rare kind.

The type reserved for those occasions when a figure with a particular status on Greater Manchester's streets and council estates meets an untimely end.

In Mr Pinnock's case people were immediately prepared to go out on the streets and gather at the scene to pay their respects, in spite of the risk to their own health and the rules on large gatherings of people on lockdown.

An 'RIP Clive' cross has been signed by dozens of people (MEN Media)

At one point, police were called to the scene to deal with 'disorder' and people failing to follow social distancing rules.

And, in the days since, there have been drinks, music, tears and selfies at his shrine.

In response, Clive's family, widely known in their community, have responsibly called for calm and for people to only gather at the shrine in small groups.

But still the outpouring of emotion continues.

Clive Pinnock and his family were well-known in Manchester (MEN Media)

A search for 'RIP Clive Pinnock' on social media returns dozens and dozens of results and there are several dedicated Facebook pages to his memory including 'CP GBNF' [Clive Pinnock Gone But Not Forgotten] that has more than 1,500 members.

In another called 'Memories of Clive Pinnock (CP)', requests are being made for an 'RIP Clive' t-shirt that was rapidly produced and has been worn around parts of Manchester in the days since he died.

Mr Pinnock's family plan a party 'in the style he would have wanted' once lockdown restrictions are lifted (MEN Media)

Clive Pinnock grew up on the Anson estate in Longsight, familiar to many in nearby areas like Levenshulme, Gorton and Reddish.

Many of the social media posts paying tribute remember him from the party scene in both Manchester and Ibiza.

This death has prompted an extraordinary response (MEN Media)

Often they include faded, print out pictures from the 90s or 00s, with Clive in the middle of a crowd of people enjoying themselves in a club or bar.

One of those to post such an image was Paris Brennan, who added: "RIP Clive Pinnock. Mr Ibiza himself.

"Many many great memories on the white isle and beyond with you my mate.

"Fly high brother."

A tribute on Hyde Road (MEN Media)

The Manchester Evening News report of his death has been shared almost 10,000 times and prompted more than 300 comments.

Not all have been complimentary, with some taking exception to events in the deceased's past.

But to those people who mourn his loss in working class parts of south and east Manchester, none of that matters, least of all now. To them, he was something of a legend, if not a personal friend.

The mass gathering of people that followed the fatal accident (Manchester Evening News)

As one M.E.N. reader put it: "In our area we have spats, wipe our noses and get on with it.

"We don't hold grudges, we get on with it.

"Yeah he was no angel like most, but lived his life the way he wanted to, keep your poison to yourselves let his family grieve in an already hard time."

Clive's funeral will take place on Thursday but his family has said that due to current government restrictions they are 'unable at present to give him the full send off he would want and deserves.'

In a Facebook post, relatives added: "However once restrictions are lifted there will most certainly be a celebration of life for Clive.

"There will be a church service, a blessing at his final resting place, and also an event to party in the style in which Clive would of wanted us all to.

"Our Family would like to thank you all for your understanding and support at this difficult time."

A 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving at the scene and investigations into the fatal crash continue.

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