My thoughts are with Crissy and his girls. So deeply saddened to hear of Marks passing. Had the pleasure of caring for Mark through some of his journey and he will be a patient I will never forget. What an honour it was to have cared for you, rest well Mark.

I first met Mark when I had only just started playing bass. I was playing the cello at West Sussex Music Centre, and Mark was the pro who would come in to play the concerts with the big band. I remember being amazed that he could just come in and do that with no rehearsal – it was very inspiring. When I got my bass I remember chatting to him after the concert one year, and him being very friendly and encouraging, and later I got to play in the big band myself, although I was a bit daunted to follow (so far behind) his footsteps! We reconnected years later when I was a pro myself, and it was nice that we had that connection from years ago, and that we were both from Horsham. He invited me to sit in with him when he was playing a West End show – Rent I think. I was working at Tech Music School and we needed a bass teacher so it was great to be able to get Mark in. He really made a positive impact on so many of our students. I then depped for him on the Priscilla Queen of the Desert musical and we have stayed in touch regularly since. One thing has always stuck in my memory – when my wife and I shared the news of expecting our first child, Mark said ‘I’ve had a smile on my face all day since I heard’. That really struck me as such a genuine and lovely thing to say – the fact that he could take such personal joy from someone else’s good news is a testament to what a lovely, selfless and thoughtful person he was. He was and still is incredibly inspiring to me as a musician and a person, and he will be very much missed by all. XX

Mark has been my hero since we were at Portsmouth Citadel SA together- Mark was 17 and playing the drums at the corps, I was 3yrs old and already enjoying my "Smurfs" drum kit at home! So every Sunday, at the end of every meeting, mum or dad would take me up to the platform to see my hero, Mark before he packed away his drum kit, and he would let me, a delighted 3yr old, have a play on his drums and cymbals! Mark has remained an inspirational hero to this day, as a lovely man, musician and friend. Sending all our love and prayers, Chris Deacon & Family xxx God Bless xxx