Paul Whipp and Jason Roe, right, knelt and wept as they surveyed the sea of flowers, cards, photos and toys left in memory of Alex, left.

The 19-year-old died after being stabbed on Wednesday night in the town centre.

Jason, 21, moved to Todmorden four years ago and he and Alex soon formed a strong friendship. "We just hit it off straight away and got on really well," he said.

"There was hardly a day when we didn't see each other, but I wasn't with him that night. I'll never forget that.

"He was warm and kind, generous and helpful.

"He was a superstar, a real character who got on with so many people and had so many friends."

Jason went into Todmorden town centre with dozens of Alex's friends yesterday afternoon.

He placed flowers on a bench, close to the scene where Alex was stabbed in the chest.

Paul Whipp, 26, said: "Everyone loved him. He was a good lad who would do anything for anyone – a really popular person."

Many friends cried and hugged each other as they read poems and letters left by others.

One said: "I'm going to miss him so much. He's my best friend. What else is there to say? I love him to bits and think about him all the time."

Ellie Tait, 19, said: "He was so kind and gentle, just lovely."
She laid flowers and left a letter to Alex in which she wrote: "People know you as the hard man but I want you to know I knew you as the gentle giant who always made me smile and always had a place in my heart."

Alex died of a stab wound to the chest in the early hours of Thursday in Rochdale Hospital following an attack in Todmorden town centre on Wednesday night.

Three men, two aged 17 and an 18-year-old, all from Todmorden, remain in police custody.

joanne.mead@halifaxcourier.co.uk