Final credits for Roxy man Ken

MUCH loved: Ken Blair at the Roxy Cinema in its final days

THE Roxy Cinema owner who brought a taste of Hollywood to Hollinwood has died, aged 71.

Grandad-of-six Ken Blair, from Chadderton, had been battling cancer.

He managed the former cinema, which closed in 2005 after showing its last blockbuster “Crash”. The screening brought to an end 68 years of movie-going in the area.

Ken’s first memories of the cinema were as an 18-year-old in 1958, when he used to go to matinees with his father, Kenneth, who was manager.

Later the family sent him to the Odeon in Manchester to learn more about the industry. He returned to the Roxy as chief operator, and the picture house passed into his hands. Later his own children, Chris, Alex, Janette and Will, also becamse involved in running the cinema.

Since he retired, Ken — who enjoyed 48 years of marriage to Audrey — lived between homes in Oldham and Florida. His other hobbies included cars, travelling and walking in the Lake District.


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