A well-known local musician is being remembered as a soft-spoken gentleman who made a significant mark on the local music scene.

Derek Pelley, a bassist and singer who performed with bands like Figgy Duff, Rawlins Cross, and Bristol’s Hope, passed away on Saturday following a two-year battle with dementia. He was 72.

Tony Ploughman of Fred’s Records says Pelley’s contribution to Figgy Duff—a band that was part of the province’s cultural renaissance in the 1970s—was “enormous.”

Pelley leaves to mourn his partner Susan and son Jude.

Visitation at Barrett’s Funeral Home in St. John’s on Friday. Donations in his memory are being accepted for MUN’s School of Music.