The death of comic actor, Dudley Moore brought back memories for one of his old school pals who lives in Brentwood.

Don Maple of Shevon Way, was in the sixth form with the talented jazz pianist at Dagenham County High School.

Mr Maple said: "We were both in the same forms for most of our time at the school and were prefects at the same time just before he went to university.

"Dudley was an absolutely superb piano player and at lunchtimes we used to go to the school library where he would sit and play for us.

"There were often teenage parties at various places in the evenings and all you had to do with Dud was sit him down at a piano and feed him beer and he would play all night.

"He was a wonderful mimic even then and practically a one-man entertainment act. He was a really good guy."

Dagenham born Dudley Moore died, aged 66, on Wednesday March 27 in his New Jersey home following a three year battle with a rare brain disorder, comparable to Parkinson's called progressive supranuclear palsy.

Published Monday, April 8, 2002