The DJ has been missing for seven months.

The family of 73-year-old Bristol legend Derek Serpell-Morris, aka DJ Derek, have begun legal proceeding to have him presumed dead.

Derek’s brother Gerald Serpell-Morris told the Bristol Post: “Without a body we cannot get a death certificate and without that everything becomes so stressful. Letters and bills are piling up in his flat and we have not got the power to do anything about it.

“We would love him to be found, that would be better for us all, but hopefully this can give us the closure that we need.”

If the application succeeds it will mean the family can get power of attorney over Derek’s bank accounts, which have not been touched since he disappeared more than seven months ago.

DJ Derek was reported missing in July 2015, after being out of contact with his Bristol family for three weeks. There were murmurs of sightings throughout 2015, including this photograph of a man taken at London’s Waterloo Station in December, who bore an uncanny resemblance to the much-loved DJ.

A marked map of South Gloucestershire was also found at Derek’s home by his niece Jennifer Griffiths in October, but his whereabouts are still unknown.

A Bristol artist hopes to paint a huge mural in tribute to DJ Derek, and a fundraiser event is happening on April 1 at the Farm Pub in St Werbughs, with a DJ line-up that includes Daddy G and Don Letts. See the flyer below for more info. You can also donate money to the mural campaign on GoFundMe.

Derek’s family are planning a memorial service for later this summer.

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