A widely recognised member of the island’s unsheltered population was almost always seen with a bicycle, travelling the length and breadth of Bermuda on a variety of models.

“It makes me happy,” Junior Maxwell Ming said in 2017, when he told RG Magazine that all he wanted to do was roam the island on two wheels.

The interview took place on Front Street in Hamilton, where Mr Ming gave a glimpse into his life as a homeless man. He agreed to have his picture taken — it featured on the cover of that month’s magazine.

He said: “I try to stay out of the way. I sometimes have trouble getting food, but people buy me meals sometimes and I feel like I am an angel.

“I am an honest man, and I don’t steal anything and I don’t commit any violent acts. I don’t go to the Salvation Army, I am frightened of people. I exercise often, I ride my bike.”

Known to many as “Scientist”, Mr Ming died this week aged 62.

“We only knew him how everyone else knew him,” said Eddrena Butterfield-Zuill.

Ms Butterfield-Zuill and her sister, Shawnette Butterfield, were nieces of Mr Ming.

“He always knew his family. It's not like he didn't know anybody or had no support.

“He was usually OK, because he knew me. He would call my name out from across the street. He had his moments. If I saw that, I would let him know, 'not today'.

“I would rather buy him things than actually give him money.

“He knew our names: nieces, nephews and brothers.

“We had a few encounters when he was having a bad day, but if you knew him then you didn't take it personally.”

Asked how he ended up homeless, Ms Butterfield-Zuill recalled what she had been told a long time ago.

“From stories we knew, someone put a drug in his drink many years ago. From what I know and remember, that's what happened.”

She said some family members did not want Mr Ming to go to the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute, where he eventually ended up.

She explained: “Some people come out of it OK; some don't.”

The exact origin behind his nickname is unclear.

“People called him Scientist, I called him Junior.”

Ms Butterfield-Zuill added: “I might have asked someone [about the name] a long time ago and they said he was very bright until that incident happened.”

“He didn't steal. He would come into supermarkets and always had money. He never stole from the store. He would buy what he needed to buy and leave.”

To the wider community, Mr Ming was synonymous with his beloved bicycles.

“People tell me they would leave bikes for him. He never stole a bike,” Ms Butterfield-Zuill said.

“I would even catch him out Front Street waiting outside for Winners Edge to open so he could fix his bikes.”

It is understood that Mr Ming got offers of accommodation throughout the years, but he was accustomed to his life as it was.

Ms Butterfield-Zuill said: “Once someone has been in a certain space for a long time, it's really hard.”

“Living out in the open is fine,” Mr Ming told RG.

“A lot of people have come and helped me, and if I didn’t have clothes they gave them to me. If I didn’t have a bike, they gave me one. I said I am going to be a good man and I am.

“I have to tell myself that nothing is tough. I stay away from bad people and no one bothers me. I never go to the doctor because I never get sick. My parents passed away and I have been living outside since I was 46. I have never been abroad, never been on an airplane.”

The family thanked the community for looking out for Mr Ming over the years and for leaving tributes across social media.