A man in his 60s has died following a fire at a flat in Derry. Noel Rodgers was found after the blaze at Bloomfield Park on Wednesday afternoon.

Requiem Mass was held for Mr Rodgers, with Fr Micheál McGavigan telling mourners that the suddenness of the death had left the family no opportunity to say goodbye.

Fr McGavigan said that Mr Rodgers had been at his wife Jean’s house across the road ten minutes before the fire broke out.

Born on Nelson Street in the Bogside into a family of ten, Mr Rodgers began working at the age of eight, gathering potatoes on a farm. He later worked as a coalman, factory labourer and security man.

He met Jean as a teenager and they married in 1980, when both were 17. The couple raised six daughters: Noella, Natalie, Róisín, Kayleigh, Edwina and Casie.

At the Mass, the family described a father who often went without so his children could have what they needed, and who enjoyed searching for Christmas presents to see their excitement. Fr McGavigan said the word that kept recurring when the family spoke was “dependable”, adding that Mr Rodgers was always the person they called if something needed fixing or if grandchildren needed minding.

Mr Rodgers is survived by his wife, his six daughters and his grandchildren.