But the efforts of photographer and doctor Charlie Chan paid off, and Johnson last year underwent a pioneering procedure that cured him of terminal cancer.

The story is told in upcoming documentary The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson, created by Julien Temple, who also made Feelgood movie Oil City Confidential.

Temple tells Fox: "He was living vividly in the moment. He accepted his fate in a very inspiring way and kept on playing. He didn't want to poison his last 10 months.

"After about 18 months a photographer in the pit at one of his concerts, who had a medical background, said, 'This guy's got too much energy - what's going on?'