The father of the late north-east musician who was married to chart-topping soul singer Corinne Bailey Rae has publicly paid tribute to his son for the first time.
Jason Rae, 31, from Aberdeen, died from an accidental drug overdose in March 2008.
The saxophonist, who attended Aberdeen’s Oldmachar Academy and later Leeds College of Music, performed with music stars including Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson.
His father Alistair Rae, who lives with his wife Lily in Cairncry Road, Aberdeen, described his son as the “life and soul”, who had a “God-given gift” for music.
The retired music teacher said: “He had a very strong personality as well. He was a leader.
“Jason would have been as shocked as anybody, as everything was going so well for him with his career.
“But just like that he was gone.”
The musician died in a Leeds flat from an overdose of methadone and alcohol after a drinking session with a friend.
A coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.
He was also a member of the funk band Haggis Horns, who recorded the well received album Hot Damn!
Ms Bailey Rae, who found fame when her song Put Your Records On reached the top of the charts in 2006, met her husband in a Leeds jazz club. They married in 2001.
Her long-delayed second album The Sea, which was released last week, is dedicated to Jason.
Its first track, Are You Here, deals with the loss of a loved one.
She said: “Someone might listen to the song and be confused by the tenses.
“I talk in the present tense deliberately. That’s because when you lose someone, you often can’t begin to think of them in the past tense.”
The saxophonist’s father said he was unaware that his son, who was raised as a Mormon, had ever taken illegal substances.
He said: “All Jason had in his system was 40 millilitres (1.4 fluid ounces) of methadone, which is just a slug. That’s all he took. I don’t know why he did it. He took a slug and that’s what stopped him breathing.”