The Head of Press and PR at HMV and Fopp, Gennaro Castaldo, added his voice to those of U2, Johnny Marr, Marianne Faithfull and Hot Press editor Niall Stokes, among others who have acknowledged the influence of the former Island Records PR wizard, and Coalition PR and Management founder.

"Rob had numerous qualities," Gennaro said, "not least of which was the fact that he was so incredibly self-effacing and modest, so very few people were aware of his many achievements or knew that he helped to shape the early careers of many of our greatest recording artists. He was incredibly knowledgeable and generous; he was a wonderful writer – in fact he probably wrote the best press release in the business; and, basically, he was as decent and genuine a guy as you are ever likely to meet."

Castaldo also paid tribute to Partridge's ability as a catalyst.

"It's amazing how many people you talk to across our Industry and find that Rob helped them in some way – he had a wonderful ability to bring like-minded people together. HMV's relationship with Rob stretches back over 15 years, which is remarkable for any agency, and, I think, tells its own story and the high regard we held him in.

"We will all miss Rob for his warmth, his unique brand of wisdom and his friendship, and our thoughts are with his family and everyone at Coalition at this time."