A former bandmate of Alan ‘Peewee’ Hunt said it was an end of an era, after the Trowbridge bar owner died at the Royal United Hospital in Bath on Tuesday following a battle with cancer.

Peewee, 69, who was nicknamed after an American jazz musician, was a hugely popular figure in the town, where he ran the legendary Peewee’s Real Ale Bar for 30 years.

The father-of-four first opened the bar in Castle Street, later moving the establishment to Church Street. His bar was one of the only ones in town to feature live music, before it closed in 2011.

Peewee was also well known as a musician, fronting rock band Lucy la Stique and comedy band Mechanical Horsetrough, which also featured friend and fellow musician Kevin Watney.

Mr Watney said: “I first met him in 1980 when he was performing as a comedy duo in Mechanical Horsetrough with Alan Briars. When I first saw him he had a very obvious wig on and people were looking at him funny.

“Then halfway through the performance his guitar fell apart and his wig came off, but he just kept a straight face and picked it back up and carried on playing. It was hilarious and that was the kind of guy he was.

“If it was going to get a laugh he would do it. He also used to pride himself on being able to have a bit of any drink and tell you what it was and would make a bet out of it, which ended up in us getting free drinks all night.

“He was also very influential in the music scene in Trowbridge, inviting new bands to play at his bars. Everyone thought he was a great bloke.”

Peewee, who also ran The White Swan in Church Street for 10 years, raised money for one of his former customers Gemma Holmes, after she was badly injured in a motorcycle crash near Westbury in 2012, re-forming Lucy la Stique for a special gig.

Miss Holmes said: “He was a lovely man and it’s terribly sad news.

"I used to go to his pub nearly every weekend with my friends and my mum also used to go to it when it was in Castle Street.

“He was always really friendly and when he heard about my accident he was nice enough to get in touch with my mum and organise a fundraising gig for Gemma’s Well Wishes appeal.”

Peewee, who was living in Winsley, also wrote a book called The Virgin Sailor, dramatised account of his life at sea as a Royal Navy Junior in the early 1960s.

His eldest son Cailean said: “Music was his main passion and he promoted many young bands through his pubs. Everyone knew him and it didn’t matter who you were, he was always very welcoming.”