When I heard the news of Mike’s premature passing, I was hugely shocked. He seemed like a guy who would go on forever. I first met Mike some 30 years ago when he was at Legend Records selling Elkie Brooks and Showaddywaddy to Woolworths and Entertainment UK. Later, when I was in retail buying, he was Managing Director at Warner Home Video and a “supplier” (although Mike never liked that tag)! Later still, whilst at Universal Pictures, we partnered with him on home entertainment distribution at Entertainment Rights where he was CEO. Wherever Mike was, our meetings were always lively, challenging, smart, impossible to predict, but always fun as we put the business and the world to rights! That was, of course, if you could get him off the subject of his family – whom he was so proud of – and, of course, Manchester United! I will remember him very fondly. He was always a larger than life character. An entrepreneur and a maverick. There were often great stories about his “antics” across the industry where he didn’t suffer fools gladly and could stand toe to toe with the biggest and best of them. My heartfelt condolences to Mike’s wife Sharon, to his daughter Nickie, and to the wider family. Mike will be sadly missed but always remembered. You are all in our thoughts and our prayers. Eddie Cunningham