Goody named 'most mourned celeb' of 2009

Jade Goody is the most mourned celebrity of 2009 ahead of the likes of Michael Jackson and Patrick Swayze, according to an online tribute site.

Lasting Tribute said that their online memorial for the late Big Brother star - who died in March after a much-publicised battle against cervical cancer - had attracted more visitors and messages than any other famous person on the site who died in 2009.

Michael Jackson received the second highest number of tributes, while pages for Patrick Swayze, Boyzone star Stephen Gately and actress Natasha Richardson were also popular.

The site, which now has more than 1.3m tributes online, has also attracted contributions for soldiers and former soldiers, including World War I survivor Harry Patch who died in July.

"We are very proud that so many people feel comfortable using our website to pay their respects publicly to their own loved ones as well as to celebrities and people in the public eye," said managing director Elaine Pritchard.