Tributes pour in for Brit stag do groom who collapsed & died in Benidorm as fiancee says ‘I can’t believe this is real’
TRIBUTES have flooded in for a Brit dad who collapsed and died on his stag do in Benidorm.
Oliver Holroyd, 29, was celebrating with his family and friends at the Funky Flamingo bar in the Spanish resort last month when he died.
The dad-of-one from Halifax was due to get married to his fiancée Paige Whiteley in May.
His grief-stricken family, fiancée and friends have shared touching tributes on social media.
Oliver’s mum Karen wrote: “We miss you so so much Oliver Holroyd our beautiful boy, life is just unbearable without you.
“Love you to the moon & back kid, can’t wait until we are all back together.”
His fiancée Paige added: “My Oliver, I can’t believe this is real. This shouldn’t be real. I miss you so so much.
“My best friend, the father of our gorgeous little boy, the best dog dad ever, my fiancée, my soul mate.
“Nothing will be the same again but I promise you I will try my best for our little boy.
“I hope you can see us everyday and I hope I’m making you proud. I’m so sorry this happened to you my darling. I miss you so much.
“I love you with my whole heart, always and forever. Until I see you again, baby. You’re my Waterloo. Yours forever.”
Oliver’s cause of death has not been confirmed but a JustGiving page has been set up in his memory to raise money for the Stroke Association.
Pal Ben Capper said: “I’m running the Leeds marathon in his honour.”
Oliver collapsed suddenly while enjoying drinks at a bar on March 22.
The bar’s manager, Gaston Luciano, told how the Brit fell backwards off a bar stool and hit his head on the ground.
Luciano said: “I was doing CPR with the help of another customer, he was responsive for around 60 seconds and then there was nothing.
“We tried for around 15 minutes before the ambulance arrived, then they took over and worked on him for another 45.
“They gave him a shot of adrenaline and connected him to a machine, they did everything they could, it was so sad.
“His friends were in shock for the first minute or so and then it hit them what was happening, they were emotional and crying.”
Holidaymaker Tracey Pilling was walking by the bar when the incident unfolded.
She said: “There were loads of people outside, we were just passing by, but there were several police cars and two ambulances… it was very sad.
“We moved on as we felt it was inappropriate to stand and watch, but we were told his friends were all standing outside.”
Tracey said she searched the internet the following day to see if there were any updates and posted on a Benidorm forum.
One witness responded to the post: “It was such a horrible and tragic thing to witness, I’ve never seen anything like it!
“I can’t stop thinking about him and his wife-to-be, and I’m sure his friends and family said he had a young boy, may he rest in peace.”
Spain‘s National Police said at the time: “We can confirm that a man suffered some type of medical problem and died at the scene.
“He was treated by those present at the premises and then by the paramedics who responded to the call.
“The medical causes of the death are unknown.”