A man who devoted decades of his life to the music and entertainment scene has died at the age of 97.
Richard Bloy - known to friends as Dick - was a man with passion and enthusiasm for live music, and ingrained himself in the Norfolk scene with his own agency.
Through this enthusiasm he was partly responsible for bringing Jimi Hendrix to Dereham and Status Quo to Norfolk, as well as helping to shape the careers of such acts as The Troggs and the Searchers.
He was born in Beetley in 1920 and served in the Second World War as a mechanical engineer with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers - mainly stationed in Singapore.
Also a keen footballer, he turned out for a number of local teams, including Beetley, Dereham and North Elmham, however, his greatest passion was music.
His wife, Eileen, who he met in 1969 in Loddon, said: 'He lived for music and when he was younger formed a band with his friends - they played and he was manager.
'He then found he had a real knack for putting on events so decided to find more bands to work with, and one thing then led to another.'
Having put together the band - The Brokers - in 1965, he later set up his own agency, R and B Entertainment, inspired by his initials and the popularity of rhythm and blues music.
Mrs Bloy, who was 18 when she met her future husband, then became his partner in business as well as life, becoming an integral part of the agency - which she will continue to run. They married in 1974 and lived together in Loddon.
Between them, the pair founded the Loddon and Chedgrave Victorian Evening and in 1988 became sole bookers for CC's Nightclub in Norwich.
He also served for a number of years on Loddon Parish Council.
Mrs Bloy, 66, said: 'Even after he retired he would be heavily involved in the agency - always reminding me to call people and suggesting bands to book.'
'That's the kind of man he was - he would always tell people what he thought and we have been inundated with people wanting to pay tribute. Many of the cards describe him in the exact same way - a real gentleman.'
He leaves wife Eileen and 42-year-old son Andrew.
His funeral will be held at Holy Trinity Church in Loddon on Thursday, November 30, at 11.45am. Donations can be made to East Anglian Air Ambulance via Young's Funeral Directors, Loddon.
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