MICHAEL Edwards, a founder member of the chart-topping Electric Light Orchestra, was living in a former Totnes council house and delivering bottled water for a living when he died in a freak road accident.

The 62-year-old musician had just won a battle with cancer when he was crushed to death in the cab of his van in a 'million to one' accident while out on his delivery round on Friday.

The cellist had been due to take part in a concert involving the early music band Daughters of Elvin in Totnes the next day.

The concert, which was part of the Totnes Festival, went ahead in St Mary's Church, Totnes, but only after the audience was told about Mr Edwards' death.

Jasper Solomon, the concert manager for Devon Baroque which Mr Edwards helped found 11 years ago, said: "They had to make a decision whether to carry on with the concert which they bravely did. It was a lovely affair. It was sad but beautiful."

Mr Edwards played with ELO from 1972 to 1975, earning a reputation for his bizarre stage costumes and playing the cello with a grapefruit.

He had lived in the Totnes area for 20 years — first at Ashburton and for the past six years at a one-time council house in Smithfields, Totnes, which he shared with a lodger.

He was a founder member of the Holne-based Dartmoor Direct Co-operative which is dedicated to promoting local produce.

For the past 15 years he had worked delivering bottled water through Moorland Mist Ltd.

He was driving his van when a huge round bale of hay rolled out of a field, over a hedge and dropped 12 feet on to the vehicle's cab.

Yesterday the coroner's office at Plymouth said that a post-mortem examination had yet to take place and no date had been set for an inquest to be opened.

Mr Solomon said that the one-time rock and roller had performed in some 100 concerts with Devon Baroque playing music by composers such as Bach, Vivaldi and Handel.

He paid tribute to Mr Edwards saying: "He was a delightful chap. He was warm and everybody liked him. He made instant friends."

And he added: "He suffered from cancer about three years ago and he was treated for a melanoma on his right temple. He went through a bad period with depression but from what we can judge he had treatment which was successful and he was happy about it."

He said Mr Edwards never talked about his days with ELO: "He never talked a lot about himself at all. He was a very private person."

Mr Edwards' neighbours have been left shocked by news of the freak accident.

Taxi driver Mark Alford said Mr Edwards also taught music to students at his home.

"He was very friendly and always chatted. He was a typical musician – laid back and a bloke in a world of his own," he said.

A spokesman for Dartington Hall said that Mr Edwards had been part of the music scene in Totnes for many years.

"He was a very good musician, a good champion of music locally," he said.

"He was very involved in performing. He has been involved with the Totnes Festival each year. He was a regular visitor to Dartington. His death has come as a huge shock."