PEOPLE in Stourbridge have been left shocked by the sudden death of a dad and popular town character.

Kevin Lane was found dead at his Bagley Street home on June 27 after a concerned friend broke down the door when he failed to answer phone calls.

The unexpected death of the 43-year-old property developer has been described by one of his best friends as a shock which will leave a hole in peoples’ lives that can never be filled.

Paul Sartori, aged 35 from Lye, said: “He was a one-off, one hundred per cent. He was intelligent and very witty.

“He collected people as friends and had a joke for everything – he used to call them his one-Laners.

He loved real ale and built his own bar at his house which he called the Broken Arms.”

Mr Lane was also a familiar face to many of Stourbridge’s musicians who was able to see talent before performers became famous.

Mr Sartori said: “He just appreciated music – the more obscure the better. He had this particular way of dancing – the Lanebot – I still don’t know how he did it.

“He used to refer to himself as the best Kevin ever and he seriously was, he used to live in the moment and he made sure everyone around him did as well.”

The results of a post mortem are being awaited but the cause of Mr Lane’s death is not thought to be suspicious.

He is survived by his mother and his 20-year-old son, the funeral date is yet to be confirmed.