Friends of Martyn Hett - a victim of the Manchester bombing who captured the nation’s hearts last year for a touching act of love for his mother - have paid tribute to him by designing a T-shirt to celebrate his life.
The T-shirt was created as a collaborative effort between Hett’s loved ones - featuring an illustration by artist Holly Shortall, and produced by Philip Normal in his shop in Brixton.
Available on GoFundMe, the T-shirts cost £25 for UK buyers, with £20 donated to Hett’s family, or a charity of his choosing.
“In loving memory of the fabulous Martyn Hett that was so tragically taken away from us too soon, artist and friend Holly Shortall created a wonderful tribute,” wrote Normal.
“Following a cry from social media that we produce it as a t-shirt, we thought it would be a fitting tribute to offer this design, with all profit going to Martyn’s family, or a charity, organisation or project of their choice.”
Demand for the T-shirt grew after friends and family wore them to a vigil for Hett held on Sunday evening on Heaton Moor Park in Stockport, Greater Manchester.
The 29-year-old, who made appearances on reality shows such as Tattoo Fixers and Come Dine With Me, had a great sense of humour, which is highlighted on the T-shirt.
Hett’s brother Dan took to Twitter to share a photo of himself wearing the design on Sunday 28 May.
“I’m sure he’d be howling with laugher to see so many people wearing this ridiculous T-shirt with his face on it,” he told BuzzFeed News.
Shortall also agreed saying:
“It was something nice to remember him by – it was just very him. It was something he would be cackling looking at.”
Tributes on social media have been heartfelt and full of praise for all the things Martyn achieved in his life - all sharing the hashtag #BeMoreMartyn.
“You can get that tattoo you’ve been talking about, because Martyn Hett did it,” one user wrote.
“You can apply to that TV show you’ve always wanted to be on, because Martyn Hett did it.
He continued: “You can come out of the closet and tell the world who you are, because Martyn Hett did it.
“You can tell that person you love them, quit that job, do that sky dive, stand up to that bully, launch that business, take that next step. Ask yourself, ‘What would Martyn Hett do?’ Then do that.
“Martyn was a social media king who understood the power of this little thing called ‘the internet’ to bring people together. So let’s fucking do it. Let’s use the internet to bring people together and make the world a little bit brighter, just like Martyn did.”
Other social media users shared messages after attending the vigil on Sunday: