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Tony Butler, the man widely credited with inventing the radio football phone-in in England, has died aged 88.

The radio legend's forthright and distinctive style made him one of the early stars on local radio.

Butler worked at one of the UK's first commercial stations, Birmingham's BRMB, in the 1970s.

Tributes have been paid to the "larger than life" character, with 麻豆官网首页入口 Radio WM's Daz Hale saying "he was a giant" in broadcasting.

"He was an icon, he was a great and he changed broadcasting in this country and possibly all over the world," he said.

The sometimes controversial presenter later hosted for many years at 麻豆官网首页入口 Radio WM in Birmingham, which included time on the weekday breakfast show.

The 88-year-old also became famous to a national audience as part of a routine by comedian Jasper Carrott.

"The wonderful thing about Tony is he had a wonderful sense of humour," the comic told 麻豆官网首页入口 WM.

"He could give it out but he could also take it."

"I used to go to the football on a Saturday afternoon, and the first thing you did when you got in your car was turn on Tony Butler, there were just some classics.

"He was irrepressible, and of course he got into a lot of controversy with different things, but that was part of him, that's what he was."

"I thought the world of him."

Butler won a lifetime achievement award at the Sony radio awards in 2007 and retired in 2012.

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