Dad-of-two suffered a sore throat - two days later he was dead

The family of a dad who died just days after getting a sore throat have spoken of their devastation.

Jay Dignam, from Blackley, passed away two days after developing the common symptom on November 3.

His loved ones say the popular dad-of-two had no prior health problems and his sudden death has left them in complete shock.

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Jay was just 50-years-old at the time of his passing and leaves behind daughters Milly, 18 and Scarlet, 10.

His heartbroken sister, Emma Dunn, says the cause of his death is under investigation and they still don’t have answers.

The 34-year-old has now revealed the heartbreaking moment she was given the news. “My older brother rang me and told me,” she said.

“It was a sore throat, nothing else. It’s such a shock. It didn’t register and I don’t think it fully has. We went to see him in the chapel of rest and it felt more real then.

“It's been so sudden and a sore throat is so insignificant. If he had gone out on his bike and had a crash... it’s been hard to accept.

“I don’t know if it’s fully sunk in yet. The funeral is next week, so maybe it will after that when I don’t have everything to arrange and think about. He was my biggest brother; it was like having another dad.”

Emma says one of the hardest moments was telling Jay’s heartbroken daughters their father was gone.

“I had to go and tell the kids,” she added. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. It was unbelievably hard.

“I had to tell his closest friends. He had friends all over; everyone knew him because he was a biker and fixed motorbikes.

“It’s hit the 18-year-old hard; she was very close to her dad. We’re just trying to be there for them, really.”

Jay, who grew up in Blackley but lived in Bury at the time of his passing, was well-known across Greater Manchester for his love of motorbikes and his ability to fix just about anything.

“So many people keep approaching us,” Emma said. “It just shows how many people loved and respected him.

“Bikes were his life; that’s what everyone knew him for. He could fix anything with wheels – cars, bikes. He was really handy around the house.

“I keep expecting him to ring me and ask for a lift. We expect him to still ring. He was always really happy and was fun with the girls. He always wanted to do fun stuff.

“He liked to be out; he didn’t like being in one place. He was an outdoors person and his girls were everything to him.”

A fundraiser has been set up to help Jay’s family through this devastating time. To donate, follow the link by clicking here.