Willy Collins Sheffield: Discussions between family and council over controversial giant headstone continue

The giant memorial was unveiled in Shiregreen Cemetery in March and is so unique it attracts visitors.

The 37-tonne white marble gravestone for William Collins, known as ‘Big Willy’, includes two life-size statues of the traveller patriarch, four flagpoles, LED lights and even a working jukebox.

One of the marble statue depicts Willy as he looked when he was a bare-knuckle fighter.

There are CCTV camera attached to the gravestone and when it was first unveiled there was so much interest in it that the Collins family arranged for a security guard to keep watch.

MORE: Willy Collins' wife shares video tours of the lavish headstone on TikTok

The gravestone has proved controversial because the family claims plans for it were approved by the city council, but the council says those which were submitted and approved ‘differ from the memorial in place’.

The council has received a number of complaints about the headstone.

Willy died at the age of 49 after collapsing while on holiday with his family in Port de Pollença on the Spanish island of Majorca in July 2020.

His widow, Kathleen Collins, told the Daily Mail there would be ‘war’ if the memorial was damaged or taken down.

Lisa Firth, Director of Parks, Leisure and Libraries, said: “The council is in communication with Willy Collins’ family and we are hoping to be able to meet with them soon.

“There are continued discussions around the memorial but no specific date has been set for a decision.”