Leo Pellegrotti, aged 52, was working on a bus at the Glenmorag Hotel in the town's Kilbride Road when the accident happened at around 8.30am on Friday.
Tommy Walmsley, a friend of the Pellegrotti family, said: "Leo was just one of life's gentleme
n.
"He'll be sadly missed, not just by his family and friends but by the whole town - 'favour' could have been his middle name."
Mr Pellegrotti ran the Bute House Hotel in West Princes Street with his partner Josie Meredith, and also hired out a cherrypicker to many island firms and individuals through his Bute House Hire business.
Until further notice, the hotel has been closed and the hire service suspended.
A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police said: "Police enquiries are ongoing in order to establish the exact circumstances, but at this stage it appears to have been a tragic accident.
"The Health and Safety Executive has been informed and a full report on the circumstances will be forwarded to the procurator fiscal."
A requiem mass for Mr Pellegrotti will be held at St Andrew's Church in Rothesay on Saturday, June 20 at 2pm.
