A Cumbrian dad tragically died on a stag weekend in Liverpool after telling his wife he felt "anxious" in a phone call less than an hour before his death. Billy Morley, 45, a builder from Cleator Moor, was found unresponsive in a hotel room on Stanley Street on June 30, despite the best efforts of paramedics.
His wife, Ashley Morley, 36, described the distressing final conversation. "He rang me the next morning and said 'I'm really anxious, I've not slept.' I said to him 'I'm sorry I wish I could do something' and asked if he wanted me to get him a train home," she said. As they ended the call, she heard him tell his friend Alex: "I can't stand up."
Ashley then tried to call him back but received no answer. A short while later, her best friend's husband, Ryan, phoned with the devastating news that Billy had suffered a massive heart attack. "The phone call still doesn't seem real," she said. "It's only been ten weeks so it's all so raw for us all."
Billy, a devoted Liverpool FC supporter, had been married to Ashley for eight years after a chance encounter on a night out. "He was my person," she said. "Some people never get what me and Billy had in their lifetime and we were lucky for that." She described him as "amazing", "funny" and "always smiling", adding that he was a people person who loved helping others.
Ashley also paid tribute to his role as a father to their five-year-old daughter April, and stepfather to 13-year-old Jack. "He was an absolutely brilliant dad. April was his world," she said. "He would never have chosen to leave us. I have to live our life for both of us now, for April." She expressed deep gratitude to those who had assisted him on the day of his death.
