Tourism Minister David Allen fought a hard battle against his cancer right until the end, his close friend and Cabinet colleague Alex Scott said last night.

The Works and Engineering Minister said the late Mr. Allen had only known that he was suffering from abdomen cancer for about six weeks, but said his spirit never faltered.

He said right up to the final days, Mr. Allen was passing out orders and keeping his colleagues on their toes.

And he said he even gave direction and details for his funeral arrangements.

"He had known about the cancer for about six weeks and we had had discussions, but I would not want to go into detail about those," said Mr. Scott, who had been close friends with Mr. Allen for about 30 years.

"He was prepared to fight it it all the way, and he did. It would not be David Allen if he had not. Even on Sunday, he was still fighting it."

He said on Sunday he visited Mr. Allen at a private residence in Tucker's Town, where he was staying, along with director of tourism Judith Hall-Bean.

Mr. Scott said Mr. Allen was passing down tourism directions to Mrs. Hall-Bean on things she needed to do, and then quipped that if Mr. Scott hung around for too much longer, he, too, would have received a job or two.

"On Sunday, he was still prepared to go on. He was in high spirits," added Mr. Scott.

"He was even talking about taking a flight somewhere in five weeks time, which shows he really was prepared to fight on.

"But I think he had prepared himself (for the end). He dictated his funeral arrangements. In the end, he was ready."

Mr. Scott said he visited his friend every day since his return from the Lahey Clinic in Boston last Friday. He said he was given constant medical attention since returning to Bermuda, but his condition worsened.

"Doctors visited him regularly. He had a medical conference around his bedside yesterday (Wednesday).

"He was aware that we were there. But then (later) he slipped into unconsciousness. He was comfortable when he passed away."

Mr. Scott said he would forever miss his friend and colleague.

"Today, I lost a very dear friend and the country lost a treasured son of the soil," said Mr. Scott.

"He did it, as the lyrics ,say his way. Many folks admired him for what he did and the way he did it.

"His life's work is already being acknowledged and is being shown the respect that it deserves at a time like this."