A renowned Norfolk musician who released his final album while living with advanced cancer has died at the age of 71.

Roger Mayor lived a peripatetic life until settling in Norfolk and putting down roots here.

He was born in 1951 on the Wirral.

His father, John Mayor, was the founder head master of St David's College, which he opened with Roger’s mother, Pam, in 1965.

Roger was the eldest of five children, with siblings Rosemary, Sue, Katy, and Ali.

The piano featured very much in Roger’s life from the early age of six.

His early education was at Kingsmead School in nearby Hoylake, where his father was deputy head master.

From there, Roger went to Wrekin College in Shropshire in 1965 where he had a quality musical education that included piano and organ tuition.

Occasionally he was let out of school to play for Christian events, and particularly memorable for him was the opportunity to play the piano, at the age of 17, for the British Youth for Christ rally in Birmingham Town Hall, with an audience of some 1,500 people.

An exchange scholarship to the USA saw him spend a year on Long Island in New York playing the chapel organ and soaking up the culture with regular visits to Carnegie Hall.

As his talent for piano improvisation was spotted by the chaplain, he soon began giving concerts with a fellow pupil who sang.

Returning to the UK in 1970, Roger started a music degree course at Goldsmiths College at the University of London.

Other highlights from the 1970s included a year's study at Capernwray Bible School near the Lake District, a two-year stint of teacher training back at London University's Trent Park campus, the start of a teaching career in London, and a concert tour as pianist for singer Sheila Walsh in company with evangelist Eric Delve and songwriter Graham Kendrick.

In 1977, he was appointed the first minister of music in the Church of England by the vicar of St Mary's Church in Upton, near Birkenhead.

Following his success there he took up the position of director of music at Hildenborough Hall, a retreat and conference centre based in Kent.

Here he ran courses for church musicians, both contemporary and traditional.

He then set up the first summer school of Christian music, appointing a group of well-known musicians and leaders to join his team.

One of these was professor Noel Tredinnick, director of music at All Souls at Langham Place, London.

Their friendship led to a number of commissions over the years to compose for the renowned All Souls Orchestra.

In 1981, at one of the very first Prom Praise concerts, Roger premiered his Fantasia on Hyfrydol for piano and orchestra, where he performed the piano solo part and Noel conducted it.

This was performed to a capacity crowd in All Souls Church, and took as its theme a Welsh hymn tune.

The climax is said to have “lifted the roof” with the audience singing the final hymn.

After moving to Strumpshaw, he became friends with a number of musicians who went on to form the group Bella Musica, performing in several In His Presence concerts in the county.

His largest-scale composition was the Julian Oratorio, written over a four-year period to a libretto by Norfolk author, Sarah Passingham.

This text was based on the Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich, and Roger produced a recording of this in Norwich Cathedral in 2001, follow by a performance of it there in 2005.

Following a diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer in 2011, Roger remained creative and found a satisfying role as a keyboard player in the worship team at TLC church in Drayton.

This is where Roger and his wife of 20 years, Penny, met Matt and Vanessa May, whose voices featured on several of Roger’s albums.

After living with advanced prostate cancer for the past decade, Roger had metastatic spinal cord compression, with cancer spread widely in his spine. This rendered him paralysed below the waist, and affected the use of his right hand as well as meaning he could not use his feet for pedalling.

Roger’s legacy will live on for many years, especially through the albums he produced and particularly his final album 'Closer', a beautiful piece of work that he desperately wanted to finish before becoming too ill.

Following its release, he said: “Although I have lived with cancer for some years, this album has been recorded and produced under the pressure of recently receiving a terminal prognosis. I am so grateful to God for giving me the strength and deep inner peace in order to complete it.”

The album’s release marked the last chapter of his four decades of Christian music ministry in leading worship at major national events, composing, arranging, and producing. It was the sixteenth CD that Roger released.

Away from his career, Roger’s other great loves were cars, especially classic cars, and boats, and he made regular trips to the Norfolk Broads and coast.

Roger leaves behind his wife and her family including grandchildren and great-grandchildren.