R.I.P. Mac Rebennack, a.k.a. Dr. John, the Night Tripper

The good Doctor has moved on at the age of 77... He had recently cancelled some performances and rumour was that he was quite ill, but the official statement says he was felled by a heart attack. Whatever the cause, his death brings us closer to the end of the authentic New Orleans heritage. The remaining Neville Brothers are now our last link to the original spirit of the city's musical and cultural importance, now that Allen Toussaint and Fats Domino have also passed on.

What Dr. John brought, on top of the impeccable craftsmanship that they all possessed was that sense of pageantry and celebration that is inseparable from New Orleans: Second Line parades, outlandish costumes and always that attachment to local mysticism. Voodoo. Witchcraft. Amulets and elixirs. The best heir to Professor Longhair and his Gumbo of jazz, rhythm & blues and Millenarian chants.

There are dozens of essential recordings by Dr. John. Where to start? From the voodoo of Gris-Gris, Babylon or The Sun, Moon & Herbs to the gritty funk of In The Right Place or Desitively Bonnaroo produced by Allen Toussaint and recorded with the Meters, the more traditional Dr. John's Gumbo, his appearance on the Band's The Last Waltz or his subliminal contribution to the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street... His influence on popular culture cannot be overstated.

Dying a legend at 77 after living a full life of music is no tragedy. In fact it's cause for a celebration, and no doubt that the city he sang about with so much love will throw him a fitting tribute. We all should join in by spinning some of his records.

I was lucky enough to see him perform once in August 2012, and even then he was still as mesmerising as ever. The video is of poor quality, and very unstable: that's because the floor was shaking from the crowd bouncing up and down. That's the funk.