A very sad news story turned into something else today. I am proud to have been involved, even though I can't claim any credit. The comedian Chris Sievey, who played Frank Sidebottom, died this week and was destined for a pauper's funeral, as there was literally no money to pay for his funeral arrangements.

Dying penniless is a tragic end to a life which involved providing entertainment to many people. It's not how I'd like to go.

The internet proves that you don't need to be a church to be a community. Some stuff happened on twitter and facebook this morning. Then someone, a writer called Jon Ronson, set up a PayPal account, and then people put a couple of quid in.

Apparently, £6000 was raised in a couple of hours. That's how to treat the departed with a bit of respect in the modern age.

The comedy website Chortle had to keep updating their article and its headline changed from "Pauper's Funeral" to "Fans Save The Day". It's like historical revisionism happening in the moment. This is what the internet revolution can do, and I'm proud to know I can be a part of it.