Bonaci was the owner of Bonaci Caterers, a Valletta confectionery run by a family which has been in the bakery business since 1884 and which managed to recover after losing their factory during an air raid in the Second World War.

In September, he discovered he was suffering from an aggressive brain tumour, with his wife Connie Bonaci describing the experience during a recent marathon for Dar Bjorn 2.

“He used to tell me to give him something to make him die because he was suffering so much, but I told him to keep on living for our sake, but I told him to keep living for his family’s sake,” she said.

“Last week, he told me that he doesn’t want to die, that he wants to live. I told him that’s what I want to hear.”

Tributes have been pouring in for Bonaci, with Valletta deputy mayor Ray Azzopardi recounting how he used to see him hard at work at his bakery factory.

“Thank you for how much you loved us and how much you taught us. Thank you for how much you suffered in silence but always triumphed.”

Leading politicians, restaurants and Valletta community groups also paid their respects.

RIP Croce Bonaci