A SINGER, pianist and club owner, who was a prominent member of York's very own showbusiness dynasty, has died aged 76.

Trudy Luker, who lived in Broadway, Fulford, performed all over the world, but came back to York 14 years ago to live with and look after her mother, May Passmore, who was the head of the family of actors, singers and musicians.

Mrs Passmore, who first trod the boards at York's Empire, now the Grand Opera House, and was described as a "complete showbusiness all-rounder", died last October just two weeks short of her 100th birthday.

Mrs Luker had a distinguished history as a jazz singer and pianist and was known as Biddy O'Connor in her younger years.

She worked in Singapore, this time as Trudy Connor. She had a regular radio show, even singing in Chinese. Later she performed in her own piano bar in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Her son, Malcolm, 55, is an Emmy award-winning musician and recording engineer based in Los Angeles, whose film credits include The Piano, Black Hawk Down and Mel Gibson's new film We Were Soldiers.

He returned to York from his home in Perth, Australia, to be with his mother when she died on January 31.

He said: "She was a great lady, a great singer and a very fun person, she always had a joke ready.

"She was a really good person, one of the guys.

"But she was my mum as well. Being a musician myself, when someone else in your family is a great musician you have a lot of respect for that."

Mr Luker's son, Jamie, 30, is also involved in the music industry as a hip-hop producer in Germany and his other son Ben, 26, lives in Australia.

Mrs Luker was remembered at a funeral service yesterday at York Crematorium.

Updated: 11:58 Thursday, February 07, 2002