Peter Millson obituary

My friend Peter Millson, who has taken his own life aged 66 after a serious deterioration in his health, was a singer-songwriter and guitarist who operated under the nom de plume of Max Eider.

In 1982 he formed, with his friend Pat Fish, the Jazz Butcher, an on-off Indie-pop band that continued for 40 years, and of which I was the drummer. They recorded several albums, including their breakthrough LP, A Scandal in Bohemia, in 1984, and went on tours of Europe and the US.

After parting company with the Jazz Butcher in 1986, Peter recorded the first of five solo albums, The Best Kisser in the World (1987), which highlighted his trademark style of jazz-flavoured chord progressions and lyrics that were by turns sombre, cynical or filled with heartfelt romanticism.

However, he kept up his connections with the Jazz Butcher with occasional contributions to albums and live tours, and returned as a full member for their final album, Last of the Gentleman Adventurers, in 2012.

Peter was born in Sutton, south London, to Megan (nee Woodiss), a teacher, and John, a senior civil servant in the Ministry of Defence.

He formed his first band at 13 while at King’s College school in Wimbledon and continued his interest in music after moving in 1977 to study English at Oxford University, where his girlfriend of the time recalled that “his idea of a romantic night in involved staying up until 3am practising scales until his fingers bled”. It was at Oxford that he met and teamed up with Fish, who was a quirky and inventive songwriter.

As Peter’s music rarely provided much in the way of long-term remuneration, from the early 1980s onwards his “real job” was as a television writer and editor, including for the charity Broadcasting Support Services, the BBC and Channel 4.

In 2007 he moved from London with his wife, Tamaki (nee Sugita), whom he had married in 2002, to Spittal, near Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland. He fell in love with the wild coast and peaceful countryside in that area, and made it his permanent base, recording his final three albums at his home studio, as well the EP Go Gentle (2020), which featured backing vocals from his friend June Miles-Kingston, a frequent contributor to his music.

In Berwick he volunteered for many years at the local Citizens Advice Bureau, where he is remembered for the help and kindness he offered so many people.

Peter was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis in his early 20s and spent the rest of his life in varying degrees of physical discomfort and frequent extreme pain, which he endured with fortitude and dignity. A man of strong moral principles, he was a lifelong vegetarian.

His marriage to Tamaki ended in divorce in 2015. He is survived by his partner, Yasmeen Zafar, whom he met in 2014, by her three children, and his sister Ann.