A gentle, kind, funny and intelligent man. A friend to countless music fans.

Rae died of a heart attack on his 64th birthday, 16th February 2024. He was on his way to work at his beloved Vinyl Exchange, a collectors' record shop he had worked for nearly 30 years. Previously, Rae had worked in Manchester's famous Eastern Bloc records.Throughout his life Rae was extremely generous, especially sharing his passion for, and knowledge of music. He always had time to talk to people, and loved to recommend artists and recordings with others. Thousands of musicians must owe Rae thanks - I can't imagine how many people have bought albums which he recommended to them. Rae was a great learner and an avid reader. He loved both fiction and non-fiction. He enjoyed poetry and loved to read historical accounts - Russian, French and American history. He also read autobiographies and of course books on music. Rae will be greatly missed by music lovers all over the North West of England, and further. The tributes paid to him in the press and social media after his untimely passing show how important he was to so many people. Taken too early, but his memory will live on within his friends, colleagues, customers and in the music he so passionately loved.Rest in power, Rae xx