He was 54.

Payne was a fixture of the Australian roots music scene for decades, playing baritone guitar with Cold Chisel legend Don Walker in his band The Suave F--ks since 2006.

He also played slide, lap steel and pedal steel guitar, mandolin, fiddle and accordion in a host of other acts including, The Toni Swain Band, The Whiteliners, The Big Island Express, Big Daddy's Cajun Blues Party, Gleny Rae Virus and her Playboys and Roy Payne and his Hillbilly Bop Safari.

In 2015 Payne released his debut solo album The Florence Special.

Since Payne's sudden passing, there's been an outpouring of grief from musicians.

Hunter bluegrass queen Gleny Rae posted: "Roy will leave a giant hole in our hearts and an even bigger hole in the roots music scene."

One of Payne's closest friends and bandmates, Dougie Bull, describes him as "a self-taught pauper that kept hosing out the music at every opportunity."

Bull says Payne was also renown for his dedication to mastering his various musical interests.

"He had a perfect ears," Bull says.

"He would listen and he had his discipline to practice and learn all that mechanical element and theoretical part of music. He was a feel player, but he could discern that."

Payne was born in New Zealand and lived in Sydney before settling in Mayfield a decade ago, where he quickly ingrained himself in the Newcastle music scene.

While Payne spent his earlier years building a reputation as a blistering guitarist in the blues, rockabilly and Americana genres, more recently he'd developed a passion for Cajun music and had become one of the finest exponents of Cajun accordion.

Payne also built, sold, tuned and repaired accordions through his business Bon Tiki Music. He'd recently finished building his third accordion from scratch.

Payne is survived by his children Florence, Vincent and Riley.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to cover his funeral expenses.

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