A popular street busker in the UK city of Leeds has died suddenly at the age of 37.

Jonny Walker was well-known in the northern English city and gained fans across the globe when this video of him singing with a rough sleeper went viral.

In the clip, social activist Walker strums the guitar as the homeless man called Bernard sings Ella Fitzgerald’s Summertime on New Year’s Eve.

At the time, Walker said: “I was blown away by his voice and the passion of his delivery and I asked someone standing nearby to film the encounter on my phone.”

Walker was the director of the Keep Streets Live! Campaign, which aimed to promote the rights of buskers and street performers in the UK.

Fans from across the globe paid tribute to the musician, who was a father-of-two.

One fan wrote on Facebook: “Jonny was a massive inspiration to me and it was him I looked up to when starting out as a cover artist, I have very fond memories with him which I will never forget.”

Another said: “Rest in peace to this amazing man… He was taken away too soon.”

My name is Jonny Walker, I am a 35 year old, Liverpool-born singer-songwriter, professional musician and have been a busker for 15 years.

I am the director of the Keep Streets Live Campaign, a not for profit organisation which advocates for public spaces which are open to informal offerings of art and music and against the criminalisation of homelessness (see http://keepstreetslive.com). We campaign for policies that support a vibrant and spontaneous street culture and have worked with city authorities in Liverpool, Birmingham, York, Chester, London, Bath and Canterbury to implement busking policies that keep the streets open to all, regardless of their background. We are currently campaigning in Exeter against a plan to allow the council to seize and destroy the possessions of homeless people. Our petition has been signed by over 10,000 people so far (https://www.change.org/p/exeter-city-council-don-t-criminalise-exeter-s-rough-sleepers-or-destroy-their-belongings).

I am also the patron of a charity called 'Inn Churches' which provides emergency accommodation for the homeless and vulnerably housed through the coldest winter months and intercepts food waste to feed the hungry (http://www.innchurches.co.uk).

On New Year's Eve 2015 I went out busking in Leeds, in Yorkshire UK. I was approached by a homeless man who asked if he could sing with me. I spend a lot of time playing music on the streets and had seen this man many times over the years, but had never heard him sing. He took to the mike and sang 'Summertime'. I was blown away by his voice and the passion of his delivery and I asked someone standing nearby to film the encounter on my phone. They captured this video which I shared on my Facebook page immediately and which had been watched by nearly 500,000 people only four days later.

'My spontaneous street jam with Bernard was a soul-affirming, enriching experience which summed up everything I love about street culture and the reason I campaign for streets which are open to art and music. The streets are full of wonderful surprises and stories. I hope Bernard's amazing improvised version of 'summertime' helps people to remember not to judge people they see on the streets according to their appearances, but to always look beneath the surface and find the person. At a time when many city authorities are introducing measures which criminalise the homeless and place restrictions on street performance, I hope this impromptu performance demonstrates the reason why streets should be places of community and culture.

Jonny Walker

Jonnywalker@me.com