A HUGELY popular entertainer from the region has died aged 59.

Musician and performer Dave Parry, who was a veteran of the pub circuit in Rhyl and beyond, had been diagnosed with cancer in May this year.

The father of four, who was married to Sandy for 36 years, was a familiar face in the town through his day jobs as a postman, a coach driver and driving instructor and for his years entertaining music lovers in Rhyl.

He discovered entertainment and playing the guitar relatively late in life, but nevertheless proved an inspiration to his children: Christian, 35; Corrine 32; Kyle, 30; and Kane, 28.

Singer Kyle appeared on The Voice in 2015, narrowly failing to reach the final of the TV talent show, while Kane is a successful West End stage performer who is currently starring in the UK tour of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical.

Kyle said of his dad: “You couldn’t get away from him. He was all over Rhyl.

”He’d be delivering your mail in the morning, teaching you driving in the afternoon and then entertaining you on the weekends.”

“He influenced all four of us [children] and we’ve all be involved in music and performance.

”Kane is currently on tour and has acted on the West End, Corrine has been in pop bands and my older brother and I love performing.

“He always encouraged the best in us and to do whatever we wanted to do, but seeing him performing and growing up listening to him play guitar, we didn’t really have any choice but to follow him on stage.”

Kyle added that the family had been touched by the outpouring of support from the community following his father’s death.

He said: “It’s been overwhelming the amount of response we’ve had. We’ve always known he was well loved, but we didn’t realise how much so.

“You wouldn’t ever meet anyone who had a bad word to say about him.

“He just wanted to give people a lift, and was a real salt of the earth gentleman.

”No matter how busy he was, he would give anyone and everyone the time of day.”

Dave died on November 8 and his funeral will be held at 4pm on Tuesday, November 21 at the Denbighshire Memorial Park and Crematorium in St Asaph, with a wake at The Ffordd Derwen pub in Rhyl.