A former University of Bristol lecturer told his friend he'd be in touch in a final text before dying with the coronavirus.
John Adler died at Southmead Hospital at the end of March following a short battle with Covid-19.
Before his death the former drama lecturer had contacted his friend Alexander Schlesinger, the president of Bristol's Hebrew Congregation (BHC), Bristol Post reported.
He said Mr Adler's last text to him read: "I am in Southmead with the coronavirus. No knowing for how long, but I am feeling positive. Will be in touch."
Mr Schlesinger said: "I managed to get through to him by phone just once more on the following day.
"Two days later he was gone, and I had lost my intellectual sparring partner sans pareil."
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Mr Alder was a well known and respected member of the academic and Jewish communities in Bristol.
Up until 1999 he had worked for 30 years at the city's university in the drama department, while also serving as an arts administrator and director of the Wickham Theatre.
He was a member of the council and former president at Bristol`s Park Row synagogue, where BHC is based.
Mr Schlesinger fondly described his late friend as 'one of the most important and perhaps controversial personalities to appear within the Bristol Jewish community in recent years'.
In a heartfelt written tribute he added: "He was a large man both in figure and in aura.
"He was un-afraid of discussion, in which he was totally honest and without hidden agendas.
"My loss is the Almighty`s gain."
Mr Shlesinger recalled dinners during which they would discuss and debate anything from the history of Judaism to Olympian mythology or medieval Bristol.
He said his friend had an 'acerbic humour'.
Mr Adler ran publishers Pomegranate Books and Herbert Adler Publishing, and was also described by Mr Schlesinger as 'a recognised world authority on Shakespeare and the Tudor theatre as well as an exhibitions promoter'.
He added: "When my health suddenly declined in 2018 and I had to spend long weeks in hospital, John visited me on several occasions even though his own health was beginning to fail.
"When, at last, I moved to my new home in Corsham, he still visited three times. Ultimately, our joint mobility problems meant we could only correspond by phone and text."
Mr Adler formerly worked in the theatre, and also had interest in photography, graphic design, organic vegetable growing and furniture making.
There have been 85 deaths from Covid-19 recorded by the University Hospitals NHS Trust and the North Bristol NHS Trust since the pandemic began.
