Sadness at death of Dudley's 'King of Rock' sweet firm boss Teddy Gray
The man known as the 'King of Rock' has died after six decades at the helm of a legendary sweet firm.
Ted Gray, who ran Edward Gray's of Dudley with his sister Betty, was 81. He had worked at the factory started by his grandfather in 1826 since he was 15 and continued into his mid-70s.
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His daughter Julie Healy, 53, said: "He was very proud of the business, especially the herbal tablets. Only certain family members know the recipe and he mixed the ingredients himself to keep it secret.
"He was a very generous man, who worked hard and loved his job."
She said everyone at the business was 'shocked and upset' by the news.
Mr Gray started at the factory as a sugar boiler when he left school, returning after three years' National Service in the RAF, to become a delivery driver, eventually taking over the reins with sister Betty Guest, 88, who still works at the firm, in the 1960s on the death of their father, also Ted.
He died in his sleep after suffering for some years from hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the brain.
