Tributes have been pouring in for the "daddy'' of entertainment in Bermuda, Sydney Bean, who died on Friday.

Fellow performers said Mr. Bean, who died at the age of 92, was a pioneer of Island music and the first Bermudian to regularly play abroad.

Mr. Bean wrote hundreds of songs, including Bermuda's Still Paradise, Where Did You Stay Last Night Caroline?, and Spend Your Money on Me, which was co-authored by Ted Ming of the Bermuda Strollers.

Entertainer Gene Steede said last night: "He was the daddy of us all. He was the man for many years, long before I was even born, and he was a star.

"He used to entertain in the US before local entertainers even thought about it. One job he had in Philadelphia, he was the entertainer and (TV superstar) Bill Cosby was the barman.

"He sang, he played guitar, played bass, he did everything. When I played with him, I was supposed to be the singer, but he would take over the mike.

"He was an all-round great entertainer, and well-liked. He was easy-going, always smiling and saying hello, and he loved to be out where things were happening.'' Mr. Bean, a leading calypsonian, had his own band, the Sydney Bean Trio, but also played jazz at weekends with Rex Richardson.

He played in hotels across the island and was the entertainer for Bermuda Island Cruises before becoming its cruise director -- a position he held until the early 1990's. He was still working on the boats when he was in his eighties.

He was known as the first local entertainer who could do impersonations of jazz legends such as Louis Armstrong.

Last year leading entertainers, including the Bermuda Strollers, held a tribute to Mr. Bean at the Hamilton Princess. Musician Shine Hayward said: "Sydney was an entertainer extraordinaire, a singer who wrote some very fine songs about Bermuda. It's a great loss.'' Mr Ming said yesterday: "I've been hanging around Sydney Bean since I was ten years old. This is a real shock.

"When I last spoke to him about five and a half weeks ago, he was fine, not travelling about as much as before but still coming to town twice a week.

"Sydney lived a pretty good life and I only remember him getting sick once about 30 years ago.

"He used to go off to the US in the middle of season for a vacation just to party.

"You have to call Sydney the pioneer of island music in Bermuda because he is older than Hubert Smith or the Talbot Brothers. He was the person that I followed. He was quite a guy. The younger generation over the past 20 years don't know about Sydney Bean so it's always nice to bring these people back to the forefront about how entertainment started.'' Mr. Bean, who was married three times, lived for many years in Greene's Guest House in Middle Road Southampton, but last year he moved to a nearby rest home.

Arrangements are being made for his funeral on Thursday.

Sydney Bean