TAMPA — Musician Ray Villadonga promised he would live each day to the fullest, as many people say once they're diagnosed with cancer.

But friends say he did just that, as they would expect from a man as genuine as Mr. Villadonga

Just a month ago, frail from the effects of pancreatic cancer, the performer also known as radio host RayZilla took the stage at Tampa's Riverfest, alongside restaurateur and friend Richard Gonzmart and local band the Lint Rollers.

"Once he started playing, it was like he hadn't a care in the world," said Gonzmart, who plays guitar. "That will always be a special memory for me."

Mr. Villadonga died on Saturday at the age of 62.

Just three months ago, on March 8, he signaled in a Facebook post that he did not intend to pass on with music left in him,.

"I've still gots lots of stuff to do," he wrote. "Music/art to create, booties to shake and smiles to make!"

A week later, Mr. Villadonga was recording one final album — Brother Ray, with his world fusion band WAHH.

After four days of 12 hour sessions, it was done.

"He was an unstoppable spirit," said album co-producer George Harris, "and one of the most amazing human beings I've met."

Up until a few weeks ago, Mr. Villadonga was hosting his radio show Step Outside on WMNF 88.5, as he has for the past 30 years.

"It was this manifest destiny," co-host Peter Tush said. "He knew there was more he wanted to accomplish. He was a whirlwind of passion."

This final year summed up Mr. Villadonga's life, said friend and musical collaborator Ronny Elliott.

"He was a big force all the time," Elliott said. "That's how he lived his life in general. He was passionate about every day."

Mr. Villadonga would joke he was the product of a mixed marriage because his mother was born in Ybor City and his father in West Tampa. He worked most of his adult life as an insurance representative, which friends say enabled him to pursue musical interests in his own way.

His mom started him in piano lessons at 7 and gave him an electrical guitar when he was 11.

Self-taught, his earliest inspiration was Jimi Hendrix but he was also influenced by the Latin bands that played Ybor City during his childhood.

He would later play flute in the Tampa Catholic High School band and study composition at the University of South Florida while befriending experimental artists who made Ybor City home in the 1970s.

All these influences shaped his musical tastes and enabled him to play with more than a dozen bands, primarily as a bassist.

"He's what we call a world musician," said artist David Audet. "He could play it all — jazz, blues, any Cuban genre, classic, rock, Indian, soul."

Artist Gordon Myhre said concerts Mr. Villadonga staged at the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersbrg showcased his musical brilliance.

During one show there, instruments included a lawn mower and television set, making music called noise composition.

"It sounds crazy but you would watch what came out of Ray's mind and it came together and you'd feel lucky that you were there," Myhre said.

This eclectic style defined his radio show, introducing listeners to music outside the mainstream including obscure psychedelic and avant-garde.

"That was his passion," former WMNF host Tony Cona said. "He wanted to turn people on to something new and open their minds."

Richard DiPietra, who grew up near Mr. Villadonga, called him Tampa's Frank Zappa — a reference to the influential, experimental musician and filmmaker who died in 1993 at 52.

"He was like him — big guy with wild hair and wild eyes."

As for his on-air name RayZilla, it came from his childhood love of Godzilla — and it defined him, said his sister Lorena Backus.

"He was always larger than life," Backus said. "He had a stage presence everywhere he went, even in the house."

Two months ago, filmmaker Fred Smith attended one of the last performances of Mr. Villadonga's band RayZilla's Hippie Slayers at the Independent Bar in Tampa. He called it "vintage Ray" despite the star's illness.

Still, what he'll remember most about the man is his heart.

"He wasn't a handshake guy," Smith said. "He was a bear hug guy."

Good-byes always included an "I love you."

In death, Mr. Villadonga taught his friends how to live, said Mario Nunez, host of the Tampa Natives Show on public-access.

"He'd say we're all terminal from the day we're born. So enjoy every moment. He did."

Contact Paul Guzzo at pguzzo@tampabay.com. Follow @PGuzzoTimes.