UK’s 'biggest headstone' weighing 37 tons erected on grave of traveller king 'Big Willy Collins'

The UK’s 'biggest headstone' weighing 37 tonnes and featuring a solar-powered jukebox, has been erected on the grave of traveller king 'Big Willy Collins'.

Dad-of-nine Willy died aged 49 after collapsing while on holiday with his family in Majorca in July 2020.

His relatives have now erected what is believed to be Britain's biggest headstone at a cemetery in Sheffield.

The huge memorial is crafted from solid Carrara marble and features two life-sized statues of Big Willy's six-foot-two frame.

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The headstone also includes depictions of Jesus Christ and biblical scenes, plus a solar-powered jukebox playing Big Willy's favourite tracks – mourners can also connect to the speaker through Bluetooth to play their own songs.

The headstone is lit up in LED lights that change colour and is under 24-hour CCTV monitoring, which his family can also access on their phones and use to ‘speak’ to him.

Willy’s eldest daughter, Mary Collins, 30, said the headstone was a send-off to “the best father in the world”.

"It’s a sad day but it’s also a way to show the world what he meant to us,” said Mary.

"Our father was a family man and he means the world to us – he still means the world to us. We’ve given him everything we’ve got and he deserves it.”

One of 16 children, Willy was the patriarch of the Collins family.

The bare-knuckle boxer doted on his children and grandchildren and apparently had around 400 nieces and nephews.

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After his death, tributes flooded in from across the UK and his home city, where he was known by many as the ‘King of Sheffield’.

“He loved Sheffield,” added Mary. “He was as much a Sheffield man as he was an Irish man.

"If you met him once for five minutes you would never forget him.

"We now have somewhere where we can meet and talk about him and for others to remember him.

"He was my best friend. Not a day goes by where we all don’t think of him.”

Hundreds of mourners lined the streets of Sheffield last August for Big Willy's funeral as his body was carried in a gold-plated casket, which was transported by a horse-pulled carriage.