Tributes were last night pouring in for much-loved Mayor of Hamilton John (Jay) Bluck who died yesterday at the age of 65. He had been in the top position at City Hall for just four months.

Mr. Bluck had been fighting for his life at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital since being admitted early on Wednesday morning after falling ill at his Somerset home. His wife Audrey and other family members were with him when he died in the Intensive Care Unit at 1.50 p.m. understands from a friend of the family that Mr. Bluck lapsed into a coma after being admitted to hospital, from which he did not recover. Medics have not yet given the family an official cause of death.

As news of his passing spread, the flag at City Hall was lowered to half mast and tributes were paid by friends and political colleagues, who described him as a jovial man and very much ?a people person?.

Deputy Mayor David Dunkley stepped in to hold the reins at City Hall during Mr. Bluck?s final illness, and will continue to do so until an election is arranged. He had known the late Mayor since childhood.

?He was a good friend and colleague, who loved his family and his city. He will be sadly missed by all, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the family,? he said.

Mr. Bluck was the great nephew of Mayor Arthur William Bluck who was in office between 1914 and 1929. He served as Common Councillor and Alderman at the Corporation before beating Lawson Mapp and Sonia Grant to the top post in April 27th?s Corporation election which put him in charge of a $20 million annual budget.

Former Mayor Mr. Mapp said: ?He was a great guy and he acted diligently for the Corporation.?

He listed his key achievements during his short time as Mayor as pressing for more Police on the streets and putting a committee in place to look at all aspects of the Corporation. He said he understood that Mr. Bluck had suffered from diabetes and been treated for ?a mini heart attack? around 18 months ago.

Former Corporation of Hamilton Secretary Roger Sherratt had known Mr. Bluck for 35 years. ?I am deeply shocked at his passing so very quickly. I had no idea that he was ill or that he had a heart condition. This is a real loss to the city and to the community. My condolences go to his wife,? he said.

He described the Mayor as a ?very outgoing person,? adding that ?he had strong opinions and had no fear in expressing them.?

City Councillor Courtland Boyle, said he was stunned by the death of a ?people person?.

?He was really enjoying being Mayor and he was doing a very good job. He was doing the country and the city a great service. He was a terrific man,? he said.

Fellow councillor Jim Butterfield, who joined the Corporation for the first time when Mr. Bluck was elected, predicted that the late Mayor?s legacy would live on through projects he was working on at City Hall before he died.

Passing his condolences on to Mr. Bluck?s family, he said: ?When someone has been ill a while and they pass away that?s one thing, but he was so energetic and positive. He would have made a real contribution to the community especially the city.?

Alderman Sutherland Madeiros said he had been motivated to run for office by Mr. Bluck. ?He had a few projects he really wanted to see come to fruition,? he said, listing in particular a new hotel for Hamilton and a wish to see more Police on the streets.

?As a very close friend, I?m going to fight for those things on his behalf.?

Former Deputy Mayor Miss Grant said: ?We did not see eye to eye on some matters pertaining to the Corporation but there can be no doubt that Mr. Bluck was totally committed to enhancing all aspects of life in the City of Hamilton.?

Progressive Labour Party spokesperson Scott Simmons said of the Mayor?s death: ?The party extends its deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to his family and the entire Corporation of Hamilton. Mayor Bluck, in office, represented an ever-present guiding hand over the City of Hamilton and we now pray that God?s unchanging hand will provide the Mayor rest and his family peace.?

United Bermuda Party leader Wayne Furbert said: ?Mr. Bluck was only a few months into his term as Mayor of the city, but he?d already made his mark as a man of energy, enthusiasm, and vision. I think all of us were impressed by his ability to hit the ground running so quickly after his election in April... he conveyed a sense that the city was in the hands of a caring and able steward.?

As well as his political role, Mr. Bluck had been a long-standing pillar of the Island?s arts scene, running the Heritage House art and antiques dealership in Hamilton for many years. He became the first chairman of the board of the Bermuda National Gallery and remained on the board of trustees.

?He was always an upbeat, positive person. He was jovial and a people person. He was a person of all kinds of drive and great vision who obviously loved Bermuda,? said Charles Zuill, a trustee of the gallery. ?I would go so far as to say it?s doubtful we would have a National Gallery if it were not for him.?

Mr. Zuill said that Mr. Bluck?s efforts in the mid 1980s to raise around $2 million in funds for the project were highly successful. ?He had a fine touch when dealing with people,? he said.

David White, chairman of the board of trustees, said: ?Without Jay Bluck there simply would be no Bermuda National Gallery. He will be a great loss to the gallery and indeed the city for his vision and commitment.?

Colonel Michael Darling, a long-term friend of Mr. Bluck, said his father and Mr. Bluck?s father were partners in William Bluck and Company. However, Mr. Bluck?s father died when he was still a young child. Mr. Bluck worked for the family business for a time before setting up Heritage House, selling antiques and pictures.

?He was quite dynamic. He was a very enthusiastic and entrepreneurial type,? said Col. Darling. ?He was a very jolly chap who had a leaning towards things artistic.?

Another close friend of Mr. Bluck, Kit Astwood, said: ?Jay had a passion for the art world. His Heritage House business was very popular and he enjoyed travelling to art shows overseas.?

Preliminary plans were being put in place yesterday for a memorial service to be held at Hamilton Cathedral on Wednesday, September 6 at 4 p.m. A private family funeral is likely to follow at a later date.

As well as wife Audrey, Mr. Bluck leaves two sons, Greg and John. His family were said to be too upset to talk publicly about their loss last night.