Family torn by triple tragedy

THE late Agnes Spiers, known as Aggy Bar, with her daughter Karen. Their joint funeral should be at Oldham Parish Church on Friday

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Mum and daughter die, husband collapses

A WELL-KNOWN Oldham family has been hit by a triple tragedy within days.

Last Monday, mother-of-four Agnes Spiers (76), who was a popular singer in the pubs around Oldham under her stage name Aggy Bar, died at her home.

At her side was her daughter Karen (46), from Holts.

Then, on Thursday, Karen’s husband, Robert (57), collapsed at home.

He was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital and placed on a life support machine.

Karen left his bedside that night to go home for a change of clothes and a meal, when she collapsed. She was pronounced dead at the Royal Oldham.

Her grieving family believe she died of a broken heart.

Now they hope to make Agnes’s funeral a double occasion with Karen’s, with a service at Oldham Parish Church on Friday, followed by a double cremation.

Karen’s brother, Carl Spiers, a local author, says the family is devastated, but is holding together.

Carl (47), who also has a brother, Peter (52), and sister, Christine (49), said: “The funeral should be at 2.30pm, and we trying to get them both together.

“We are waiting for the coroner’s report into Karen’s death, so we can do the paperwork and arrange everything for Friday.

“If not, we will have to rearrange it.

“We asked for bright clothes and happy faces at mam’s funeral, so we still want the same.

“Robert is slightly improving and has been taken off the life support machine.”

Carl wrote about his beloved mother in his book “100-plus characters of Oldham”, published last year.

His first character was his mum when she was a famous local singer. Her maiden name was Agnes Bardsley.