By Jon Harris
Daily Record
LANCASHIRE, England — A Dad of three danced Gangnam Style at his office Christmas party — then collapsed with a fatal heart attack.
Eamonn Kilbride, 46, told wife Julie he had chest pains before slumping to the floor.
She said: “I tried to revive him until the ambulance got there but by the time he got to the hospital he was gone.
“We were having a fantastic time at the Christmas party. Eamonn had just finished dancing to Gangnam Style.
“He was on stage and entertaining everybody. He was always the life of the party and loved dancing.”
Keen golfer Eamonn collapsed with heart failure at the party in Darwen, Lancashire, for staff at brewers Thwaites last Saturday.
Julie, his wife of 23 years, and paramedics tried to save him but he was pronounced dead on arrival at Royal Blackburn Hospital.
Eamonn leaves three children, Laurajade, 22, Jack, 21, and Conor, 18, who are all at university.
Julie, who celebrated her birthday at the Christmas party, said: “Eamonn was such an intelligent man. He inspired our children and made sure they had a good education.
“He loved me dearly and would tell people all the time. I know he thought the world of us.
“I want people to know how he would help anybody, whether it was a lifelong friend or someone he had just met.
“He was a great family man and he worked so hard.”
Jack also paid tribute to his dad. He said: “He was a marvellous man and really funny.
“He always put effort into everything. He just oozed charisma.”
Eamonn moved to the UK from his native Ireland in 1985 and worked for Thwaites as an IT manager. He had been with the firm for 16 years.
He loved football and was a devoted Liverpool fan. He also managed a boys’ club team who won a league title in 2004.
Friends and relatives left tributes to Eamonn on Facebook.
Cousin Pauline Mulvy wrote: “My dear Eamonn, may you rest in peace. My heart aches for Julie and his family, including his sisters and mother.”
Mal McNulty posted: “RIP my dear friend. I can’t believe you have been taken from us so suddenly and so young.
“I will miss your frequent text messages and funny jokes you would send me.
“But I will remember all the good times we had, especially to Dublin.”
And Cal Crymble wrote: “One of the kindest people you could ever meet, never failed to put a smile on the face of anyone who met him.”
Eamonn’s funeral will take place next Wednesday. A post mortem was carried out yesterday and a file will be passed to the coroner.
“ ‘By the time he got to the hospital he was gone’
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