Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, who died on 24 December, 2007, aged 82, was called the ‘Maharajah of the keyboard’ by none other than Duke Ellington.

He was one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, technically outstanding and thrillingly inventive, drawing on his early classical training and an eclectic variety of influences. He dazzled listeners with virtuoso solos, exciting duets with the likes of Ray Brown, and sensitive accompaniment to great singers such as Ella Fitzgerald.

In a career lasting more than six decades, Mr Peterson released more than 200 albums and received a number of awards, including 7 Grammys.

Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was born on 15 August, 1925, in Montreal, Canada, and grew up immersed in jazz culture. His father was a self-taught musician who introduced his son to the trumpet and piano when he was 5 years old; however after suffering from tuberculosis he gave up the trumpet and focused on the keyboard.

His early training was classical-based. His natural talent was matched by his committed diligence that saw him practice for four to six hours every day, and his control and craft was already admired by professional pianists when he was just nine years old.

In 1940, aged 14, he won a national competition run by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The young Peterson left school to pursue a musical career, playing in hotels and halls and on a weekly radio show. His first love was still jazz and boogie-woogie, and his idol was Art Tatum, to whom he was later compared.

The turning point for Mr Peterson was being taken on by jazz impresario Norman Granz, who ran a number of labels and a project called Jazz at the Philharmonic. Granz heard the pianist on a cab radio on the way to Montreal airport, but was so impressed he asked the driver to take him straight to the club where he was playing.

Already well-known in Canada, Mr Peterson became popular in the US following his 1949 gig at Carnegie Hall. He played with the rest of the jazz royalty, including Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown and Count Basie.

He formed landmark trios, redefining the category with high levels of musicianship from all players, and challenging preconceptions by assembling groundbreaking mixed race groups. He had great success in the '50s with Herb Ellis and Ray Brown, and later with Joe Pass and Orsted Pederson.

In the 1980s, he formed a successful duo with fellow pianist Herbie Hancock and in the 90s he went on to perform and record with protégé Benny Green. Sadly, the arthritis that had plagued him most of his life really took hold at this time and he was further impaired by a hip replacement.

In 1993, a serious stroke left him incapacitated for two years. Although he returned to make limited performances and recordings, even undertaking a world tour, his health deteriorated. In 2007, he was forced to cancel many performances due to ill-health. Mr Peterson died on 23 December, 2007, from kidney failure at his home in Ontario. He is survived by his fourth wife, Kelly, and his six children.

As one of the greatest pianists of all time, it is not surprising that Mr Peterson received a plethora of awards for his talents. He was elected to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1978, given the Toronto Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1991, and the UNESCO Music Prize in 2000, among many others. He earned seven Grammys including the 1997 Lifetime Achievement Award.

He received honourary doctorates from many universities, one of which also named him Chancellor. Concert halls, schools and public spaces were named after him. And it is testimony to his personality that he was also bestowed honours beyond his musicianship: an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1972, and then Companion (the highest rank) in 1984, Chevalier of the National Order of Quebec and an Officer of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

In 1993, his fan and friend Prime Minister Jean Chretien invited Mr Peterson to become Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, but due to his recent stroke he declined.

He will be remembered above all for his outstanding technical talent. The critic Leonard Feather once wrote: "Peterson's capacious hands can extract the gentlest whimper, the profoundest roar or the deepest indigo wails from his keyboard."

He was the last of a generation of great jazz pianists and it is unlikely his talents will be rivalled in the future; but he certainly inspired a whole new generation of musicians.