Tributes have poured in after the sudden death of one of Bermuda?s most prominent and popular lawyers.

The legal community spoke of its shock and sadness yesterday in the wake of the death of Richard Hector.

There was a minute?s silence at Magistrates? Court yesterday morning out of respect for the veteran QC. A leading light of the criminal bar for decades, he was dubbed ?Sir Richard? by some lawyers because of his elegance and charm.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner told the court his friend had been an ?outstanding member of the bar?.

Attorney General Larry Mussenden said the country owed a debt of gratitude to Mr. Hector.

Those comments were echoed by friends and colleagues at the Wakefield Quin law firm where Mr. Hector ? who passed away aged 74 ? practiced as a defence advocate right up until his death.

Long-term colleague and close friend Mark Pettingill said his ?mentor? ? a talented cricketer who proudly boasted of once bowling Sir Garfield Sobers for a duck ? ?lived life to the full?.

He added: ?Out of affection and respect I always called him ?Sir Richard?. He had that type of stature and shows the esteem I held him in because of his elegance and charm.

?He was unequivocally a gentleman.?

He said Mr. Hector kept his political cards close to his chest and never aligned himself with any party, despite the fact that they tried to get him on board. ?He was a great supporter of Bermuda and its people. He had a strong sense of justice and a great love of the law which he maintained right up until his death.?

Another close friend, senior lawyer Dennis Dwyer, helped set up a law firm with Mr. Hector in the early 90s that later became Wakefield Quin. He said Mr. Hector?s death came as a complete shock.

He said Mr. Hector had been ill in the past but had been in good health recently, visiting the office on Saturday and going to church with his family on Sunday. ?He was exceptionally fit and happy when I last saw him.?

Mr. Dwyer added: ?He was a charismatic person, a wonderful human being and an excellent lawyer.? Praising his friend?s ?fantastic? sense of humour, he said he would be remembered for always looking on the bright side.

The Attorney General said the defence lawyer would be remembered as the ?consummate gentleman?.

Sen. Mussenden, who also worked with Mr. Hector at Wakefield Quin, added: ?He had high standards of decorum both in appearance and presentation. It will be very hard for other people to actually reach them, but it?s a standard that we can all strive for.?

He said Mr. Hector?s criminal law skills should serve as an example to younger lawyers and added: ?He was able to sway a jury in the most trying cases. I believe he loved to be in front of the jury.?

Solicitor General Wilhelm Bourne said the legal profession had lost a ?giant of a man?.

And lawyer Trevor Moniz, who was on the Bar Council with Mr. Hector for ten years, said the QC made a big contribution to Bermuda life. ?I never knew him to be angry or raise his voice,? he said. ?He was very much a gentleman.?

Lawyer Patricia Harvey said Mr. Hector was an ?astute? attorney. ?He was willing to nurture younger members of the Bar and he will be greatly missed.?

Mr. Hector was born in Guyana, in what friends said were humble circumstances, before training in London and moving to Bermuda.

He was called to the bar in England in 1964 and became a member of the Bermuda Bar Association in 1972. He was president of the Bar Council from 1999 to 2001 and the barrister was given the prestigious honour of being made a QC in 1992.

After a spell as Senior Magistrate he entered private practice and covered a wide range of high-profile criminal trials.

One, a murder trial in the British Virgin Islands in 2001, saw his skills broadcast to millions of cable viewers on Court Television.

He also hit the headlines when as a Senior Magistrate he sued the Mid-Ocean News over an alleged libel. The case ended with a hung jury and was never taken to court a second time.

A statement from the Bar Association yesterday said: ?Richard has been a leading light of the criminal bar for many years and has been involved in some of the most well-known criminal matters during that period.

?Richard was a well respected and well-loved member of the association. He contributed in every way to the profession that he loved, and many of us benefited from his kindness and patience as we came up the ranks.

?He will be a great loss to the bar in Bermuda and greatly missed by all of us, both as a friend and a colleague.?

During an impressive cricketing career, the renowned all rounder played first class cricket for Guyana in the 1950s. Mr. Hector captained the side and played against a string of top test match cricketers, including Sir Gary Sobers.

Friends say he remained a big cricket fan ? and was looking forward to the forthcoming 20/20 classic tournament in Bermuda and the forthcoming World Cup in the West Indies.

Mr. Hector leaves a wife, Elizabeth, and three daughters. Friends said Mr. Hector died suddenly after collapsing yesterday morning while at home with his wife.

Senior Magistrate Mr. Warner started yesterday?s session in sombre mood and announced he had found out about his friend?s death moments before entering court.

?He was an outstanding member of the bar,? said Mr. Warner, before the court stood for the minute?s silence. ?On behalf of this court and personally I would like to convey to his family our sincere condolences.?