If you’ve ever strolled into the local pubs of Widnes, you’ve probably heard the name Johnny Rocco whispered with a grin and maybe a story or two. He wasn’t just a singer; he was a full-blown showman with a backstory that could fill a book.

Before the bright lights and TV cameras, Johnny was grafting hard on the Silver Jubilee Bridge, helping build the iconic link between Widnes and Runcorn. But his true stage was anywhere with a microphone. The local pub became his unofficial HQ, a place where karaoke nights turned into mini concerts and charity gigs felt like headline shows.

Then came 2007 and The X Factor. Johnny walked in with Elvis swagger and launched into “Always On My Mind.” The judges weren’t ready. Louis Walsh called him “a pub singer,” and Johnny fired back with a finger-point and fiery words that Simon Cowell cheekily dubbed “a Mafia sign.” You can relive it here.

The drama didn’t stop there. In 2013, Johnny returned for round two. Sharon Osbourne reportedly lobbed a pen at him during a spat with Louis. By then, Rocco had earned his reputation as the man who put a hex on Walsh and rumours swirled about Irish luggage mishaps and bad luck dogging the judge. Myth? Magic? Who cares, it made the legend even juicier.

Off-camera, Johnny was all heart. He raised cash for local causes, belted Elvis classics at charity nights, and kept Widnes smiling. When whispers spread that “Elvis Rocco” had died, he cheekily shot back: “Still alive!”

His passing in 2022 left a hole in the town’s soul, but, in a news article at the time, his son summed it up perfectly: “He put everyone else first.”

Johnny Rocco wasn’t just a singer. He was Widnes through and through a bridge builder, a pub hero, and the man who turned karaoke into legend.