HEARTBREAK

John King collapsed and died of a brain haemorrhage in the kitchen of the house in Southampton after a night out with friends.

After hearing a thud, John's father, Victor, went downstairs to discover the 39-year-old taxi driver lying dead on the floor.

Emergency services were called to the home in Aldermoor Road, Coxford, and John's body was taken away.

But when Victor, 67, returned to the kitchen in the early hours of the morning he was overcome by grief. He too collapsed on the floor and died from a heart attack.

The pair were buried together at Hollybrook Cemetery following a double funeral.

Tributes were today paid to the father and son by Victor's daughter, Jackie Barker, 45, who described both men as very family-oriented.

She said: "Dad had emphysema, but he wasn't really that ill, and John's death came out of the blue.

"He wasn't ill, there was nothing wrong with him at all. He had been out that evening at a friend's house. He went home and collapsed on the floor.

"I think the shock of it was what killed my dad - he died of a broken heart. It was the shock of it all that did it.

"We were a close family. It's awful. It's such a tragedy both of them dying on the same day.

"But I think they were meant to be together."

Victor, who grew up in Shirley Warren, was divorced from his wife, Audrey, 64, but the pair remained friends.

He was regularly visited by his four children, 16 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He also enjoyed fishing and gardening.

Mrs Baker said: "He worked all round as a plumber, but had been off work for a while because of his emphysema.

"But he did all sorts - he was a coal man and a butcher, he did a lot of things. He had lived in Aldermoor Road for 37 years in the same house, but he grew up in Shirley Warren.

"He loved his fishing, he had his own fish pond as well, and he used to keep his own bird aviaries. He had Koi Carp and he liked his greenhouse and his flowers.

"He didn't really go out much, he just kept himself to himself. He didn't go to any clubs or anything."

John, who was not married and was known to his family as Gary, had lived with his father for many years and the pair got on very well.

Jackie said: "They were in each other's pockets all the time. They used to aggravate each other, but they got on really well together.

"John liked his music. He had just been to Florida with his friend and had booked up to go to San Francisco."

An inquest into Mr King's death was held at Southampton Coroner's Court.

A number of prescribed drugs were found at the pensioner's home, but tests showed the levels of drugs in his blood were of a therapeutic level.

A post-mortem examination revealed that Mr King had a history of heart disease and that was what caused his death.

Southampton Coroner Keith Wiseman recorded a verdict of death from natural causes.

He said: "Obviously Mr King was an unwell man in any event. "I would seem natural to associate the two deaths.

"Finding his son dead must have been a very considerable shock I am sure for Mr King."