John Prescott is pictured beaming with happiness next to his wife Pauline at a birthday celebration in a photo shared by his family.
The former deputy prime minister died on Wednesday at the age of 86 following a battle with Alzheimer’s.
In a photo shared by his family on X on Thursday, Lord Prescott is pictured smiling beside his wife of 63 years Pauline, on her 82nd birthday, surrounded by flowers, chocolates and Champagne.
She and the couple’s sons said Lord Prescott had died peacefully, “surrounded by the love of his family and the jazz music of Marian Montgomery”.
“John spent his life trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment, doing so from his time as a waiter on the cruise liners to becoming Britain’s longest serving Deputy Prime Minister,” said his wife Pauline, and his children Johnathan and David, in a statement on X.
“John dearly loved his home of Hull and representing its people in Parliament for 40 years was his greatest honour,” they added.
They also thanked the “amazing” NHS doctors and nurses who cared for him following a stroke he suffered in 2019, and staff at the care home where he lived during the final part of his life, and where he died.
Tributes have poured in since news broke of Lord Prescott’s death.
Former prime minister Sir Tony said he was “devastated”, adding: “He was one of the most talented people I ever encountered in politics; one of the most committed and loyal; and definitely the most unusual.”
Sir Tony continued: “He will deservedly occupy a special place in the pantheon of the Labour leadership; he will be mourned by his many friends and fans around the world and for me personally, today is a day of profound sadness but also immense pride in having known him and worked with him: a great man and great servant of country and party.”
His successor, Gordon Brown, said “former boxer” Lord Prescott was “key to holding the ring and keeping things together during difficult times such as over Iraq”.
He added: “John Lennon said the the working class hero is a difficult thing to be, but I think John would be just fine with being remembered that way. He wanted the good things in life for everyone and not just himself. And he showed that Britain can be a country where if you work hard you can fill your potential.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Lord Prescott was a “true giant of the Labour movement” and one of the “key architects” of the last Labour government.
Lord Prescott was a key figure of the New Labour project, seen by many as custodian of the party’s traditional values in the face of a modernising leadership.
He was ennobled in 2010 and introduced to the upper chamber as Baron Prescott of Kingston upon Hull having served for four decades as an MP for the city.
Lord Prescott ceased to be a member of the upper House in July this year after facing health difficulties.
He had only spoken once in the chamber since his stroke in 2019, official records show, and had not voted since February 2023.
Born in Prestatyn, Wales, on May 31 1938, the son of a railwayman, Lord Prescott left school at the age of 15 to work as a trainee chef and then as a steward on the Cunard Line before entering politics.
Over a parliamentary career spanning more than half a century, Lord Prescott served for 10 years as deputy prime minister after Labour’s 1997 general election landslide.
At times short-tempered, he once famously punched a protester who threw an egg at him during an election campaign visit to North Wales in 2001.
But during much of his time in office, he acted as a mediator in the often turbulent relationship between Sir Tony and chancellor Gordon Brown.
He also oversaw the environment, transport and the regions, a brief which included helping to negotiate the international Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
Lord Prescott was a loyal supporter of Sir Tony in office but subsequently critical of parts of New Labour’s legacy, denouncing Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War.
He also strongly defended Jeremy Corbyn during his time as party leader in the face of fierce criticism.
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