Family devastated as much-loved dad dies in tragic accident on holiday

Marlon tragically died after an accident abroad -Credit:Family Handout
Marlon tragically died after an accident abroad -Credit:Family Handout


In a heartbreaking incident, a beloved Birmingham dad succumbed to his injuries following an unusual accident during a holiday in Turkey. Marlon McCormack, aged 51 at the time of the event, sustained a brain bleed due to a fall while operating gym equipment at his hotel.

He was on a spontaneous family trip at the time. The father-of-two was a resident of Chelmsley Wood and died on the morning of May 5, having been put into an induced coma by the doctors who were battling to save his life. Distressingly, his death occurred merely minutes before his daughters managed to reach his bedside, as confirmed by the Daily Mail.

Marlon's daughters, Renelle McCormack, 27, and her sister, aged 16, were hastily flown to the Alanya resort after doctors had given their desperate prognosis that he had just '24 hours to live' due to organ failure. Upon finally being granted admittance into their father's room, they were delivered the crushing news that he'd passed away half an hour earlier.

READ MORE: Huge fire tears through Coventry hotel

Read more: The 'uber-cool' Coventry hotel where there's a waiting list for rooms

A crowdfunding effort for Marlon's family--powered by the goodwill of the internet community-- has raked in over £26,000. The leading force behind this initiative, Cherry Ryan, stated the fund would be utilized to bear the costs of transporting Marlon's remains home and to settle any lingering medical expenses, reports Birmingham Live.

According to reports from the Daily Mail, the family owed the hospital a total of £23,000 - which has been settled thanks to the generosity of the public. Cherry expressed her heartfelt gratitude on the GoFundMe page dedicated to Marlons cause: "Thank you so much for your support and help, we could not do this without you."

In a heartbreaking update, his fiancee Anna Ryan said: "He's amazing with kids. He loves his mum and would do anything for her, he has an unbelievable amount of friends! He's a hard worker, who raises when people are a sleep, work all day then go straight to help a friend or family in need before resting."

His family flew to his bedside -Credit:Family Handout
His family flew to his bedside -Credit:Family Handout

"He will literally help anyone in need, he accepts anyone for who they are, he will talk the head off strangers. He is so forgiving and such a giving person."

Marlon had been enjoying a night out with Anna and his two daughters before he suffered the accident at his resort's gym. He woke up with 'no feeling on one side of his body' and was rushed to hospital and placed in an induced coma.

After receiving more than a week of critical care, and undergoing surgery which failed to remove all the blood from his brain, his family racked up a huge debt of around £30,000. Renelle told the Daily Mail: "We got the news that he had 24 hours left and his organs were failing so me and my sister got the next flight to say goodbye. We arrived in the early hours and went to the hotel where we went to sleep. The hotel was 30 seconds from the hospital, so we went straight there first thing."

"We got there and they told us to sit down in the waiting area, so we sat down there for half an hour before we went up. The surgeon met us outside ICU, as he usually did, to give us an update. But it wasn't an update. The update was that he had died 30 minutes ago. It was the worst feeling ever."

Renelle has put together a celebration of life ceremony in honour of her cherished father. This event, which is set to take place in Birmingham on May 17, will assist in raising funds 'to get him home and give him the send off he deserves'.

Sign up for our FREE daily newsletter here for all the latest news about Coventry.