Dad dies suddenly on holiday to Thailand

A dad and army veteran who was a "true gentleman" died suddenly during a holiday to Thailand.

Roy Mitchell, 69, who lived in Liverpool city centre, died on April 26 after travelling over to Pattaya in Thailand for the annual Songkran Water Festival. The 69-year-old first travelled over to Thailand 10 years ago to be best man at his friend Paul's wedding.

Paul Walsh, 49, said Roy "fell in love" with Thailand and visited every year to see friends and travel the country. Roy was born in Belfast before moving to a house in Chinatown in L1.

He served in the King's Regiment of the British Army between 1969 and 1973 and dedicated his life to helping soldiers.

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Paying tribute, Paul told the ECHO: "I got married 10 years ago in Thailand and Roy came out there with us. He was the best man at my wedding.

"Roy fell in love with the place. He loved travelling around and he loved the culture. He used to go out there and sadly passed away out there.

"If you needed any help Roy would help you. He was such a gentleman. Everything to do with the King's Regiment - that was Roy. He couldn't do enough for people. He did a lot for ex-forces who passed away and their families.

"We've got a memorial for the King's Regiment at the back of St George's Hall and every week he would go down there and clean it."

A Gofundme page has been set up to raise money for Roy's funeral and cover the repatriation costs of bringing him home from Thailand. Any remaining donations will be given to KIND - a charity that helps support thousands of disadvantaged children and families across Merseyside - which was a cause close to Roy's heart.

Hundreds of tributes have been shared on social media to Roy, including from the bar Soul Train, where he spent a lot of time on the dance floor. In a video shared on Facebook, the Seel Street bar said: "Roy was always in Soul Train. I think he was there from day one and he would be there every other Saturday.

"We spoke to him just a couple of weeks back and suddenly life takes a turn and Roy is no longer with us. It's really sad."

In response to the post, one person said: "RIP Roy always smiling and dancing. A true gentleman through and through!"

Another wrote: "Oh Roy I’ll never get used to not seeing you again. You were there for me always and I’ll never forget that. RIP my dearest friend in the world your friendship was the best of me."

A third said: "Always had a dance with Roy in Soul Train. RIP Roy you will be sadly missed xxx."

Another commented: "RIP brother will miss you and our cups of tea when working in Liverpool. A real gentleman."

You can visit the Gofundme page here.

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