ST. LOUIS — Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused a deadly fire at a home in Soulard Saturday night.
Loved ones told 5 On Your Side the victim was Tom Hall, a well-known Blues musician in St. Louis.
A memorial outside of Hall's home in Soulard grew over the past several days for the man that filled St. Louis' streets with his music for decades.
Friends described him as unique, humble and someone who will be greatly missed. He also spent a lot of time mentoring young St. Louis musicians.
Judy Stein, with the Focal Point music venue, said Hall was a "master of it all."
"Nobody knew what to expect from Tom, except that they knew it was going to be rare and wonderful and done modestly," she said.
The lights on the Focal Point stage were a bit dimmer on Monday, after losing a man who sat on their stools regularly.
Hall's music filled the venue since it opened in 1975, according to Stein.
"We saw a lot of Tom. Tom had been playing at Focal Point longer than I've been managing," she said.
Stein said they called him "Whispering Tom" for his timid demeanor offstage and his booming presence on stage.
"He is just the shiest musician you could imagine. He was such a sweetheart in that way, but he blew out microphones. He had the most powerful voice and the richest wonderful bass voice that people just didn’t expect it," she said.
A voice and sound, that Stein said, Hall lived for daily.
"Tom wanted to sell the music. Period. As much as a stage performer can, he kept himself behind the music. That’s probably the best way to remember Tom. He was not doing it to be famous, he was doing it because that’s what the music wanted him to do," she said.
Hall was in several bands over the years, including River City Rhythm with John Higgins.
"I met Tom about 45 years ago. I was 22 or 23," Higgins said.
Higgins described his dear friend as someone who couldn't be pigeonholed, not as a person or a musician.
"Tom was a very, very unique person. When they saw Tom perform, they saw something very unique. There wasn’t someplace else you could go and see somebody like Tom Hall," he said.
According to Higgins, Hall grew up in an orphanage, so being loved by so many people meant the world to him.
"Tom could be super gruff sometimes, but inside, he was a big softy," he said.
Higgins said Hall was on cloud 9 waiting for his first grandbaby to arrive in just weeks.
"In the 45 years I've known Tom ... and I'm not making this up ... I have never seen him so happy. For him to see his daughter pregnant ... to know that there’s going to be this child ... it gave him this family that he never really had and that meant the world to him," he said.
While this community will never let Hall's music die, many are still trying to wrap their heads around the fact that he's gone.
"It’s a sad and tragic ending. What else can you say about it. I miss Tom. I don't have any brothers, I have three sisters, I don't have any brothers, but Tom is my brother. I'll miss him. No doubt," Higgins said.
Many bars and venues will be hosting shows in honor of Hall.
SqWires Restaurant and Market in Lafayette Square is hosting a show on Friday, April 28 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hall was supposed to be playing there during that time. And 100% of all bar purchases will be donated to Hall's family.
Hammerstone's in Soulard is paying tribute to Hall on Thursday, May 4 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. since he would've been playing at that time.
The Focal Point will be hosting a remembrance show filled with Hall's students and former bandmates on Friday, May 12.
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