Tributes to well-known Northumberland tattoo artist who died while on holiday in Thailand

Geordie Scott, from Blyth, died the day before he was due to return home from Thailand

Tributes have been paid to a "trailblazer" tattoo artist who died suddenly while on holiday in Thailand.

George Edward Scott, known as Geordie Scott, was well known in the tattoo industry, having spent 45 years as a tattoo artist. During his career he founded a tattoo and body art exhibition in the North East and even went on to produce his own ink brand, which is sold across Europe.

He sadly died on September 30, aged 64, the day before he was due to return home from his holiday visiting friends. His daughter Lorraine said he is believed to have suffered a heart attack.

Paying tribute to her dad, she said: "He was a wonderful dad. I have a great relationship with both of my parents but when they seperated when I was 11 I went to live with him. From then until I went to uni it was just me and him so we had a very tight-knit relationship. I knew if I needed anything he would always have time for me.

"He was always full of laughter and full of chatter and he cared a great deal about people. If something pulled on his heartstrings he would do something about it - whether that was donate money or give advice - he really cared about others."

She added: "He was a hilarious person and very sociable. You couldn't go anywhere without him standing and talking to about 10 people. You would go to the shop when you came back he'd still be standing there talking to the same people. He could have you talking for hours."

Geordie was 18 when he started tattooing from his nana's back bedroom. He had gone to work in the pit after leaving school at 16 but soon decided it wasn't for him and started pursuing a career which allowed him to use his artistic skills and "never looked back".

Within a couple of years Geordie bought his first tattoo studio on Stanley Street, in Blyth, before relocating to Union Street in the town where his shop, Geordie Scott's Tattooland, has remained for around 30 years.

Lorraine, 40, who works in law, will now take over the management of the shop. She said: "He absolutely loved his shop, he was always in it. He has a leather Chesterfield sofa in there and he was always on that sofa."

The mum-of-two added: "The tattoo shop is all I've got left of my dad now and I couldn't bear to see it go. I'm happy that his artists want to stay and continue working here. I'm sitting in the shop now and it's a place where I feel most connected to my dad... it's where he spent his every day."

Portraits were among Geordie's favourite tattoos to work on during his career because they were "personal and special". He also particularly enjoyed working on sleeve tattoos, inks with intricate details, or tattoos which he had been asked to create himself. However, if someone came to him with a tattoo which he didn't think would look good, Geordie didn't shy away from telling his clients.

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Lorraine said: "He would definitely give you an honest opinion, he wouldn't just take your money. If someone came in with something hideous he'd say 'that's awful, you don't want to get that'. But people liked that he was straight talking. He definitely wasn't a shrinking violet and he definitely spoke his mind, but in a nice way."

Geordie won several awards for his work and appeared on a number of TV documentaries to share his expertise. His daughter said: "Back in the day there weren't as many tattooists, so if anyone was doing any kind of documentary on tattooing or piercing, he was a go to person because he was one of the longest-standing in the industry. He was quite a trailblazer in what he did."

He was one of the original founders of the Great North Tattoo and Body Art Exhibition, which would see tattoo artists from across the country gather at the former Mayfair Ballroom in Newcastle. And in 2002 he created his own ink brand, Dermaglo UK Limited, which provides the industry with high quality and pigmented inks.

Lorraine, who will also assume the position of Managing Director of Dermaglo, said: "He knew his craft and he knew what would work and it really took off and now there's people around the world buying it now."

As well as his daughter and grandsons, aged one and two, Geordie leaves behind his partner, Rowena, who has also vowed to ensure that his business and legacy continues without interruption.

Reflecting on her dad's life, Lorraine said: "He strived and worked really hard all of his life, but in the last couple of years of his life I'd say he 'arrived'. He was very content with how business was and his shop. He's always been successful but he'd reached success in his business and was very happy in his personal life, with his partner Rowena, and I'd not long had two children. He was just really happy and had reached a point in his life where he was really content."