A dad-of-four tragically died the day after Christmas after collapsing at his home. Kevin Burnett fell behind his bathroom door which meant firefighters had to attend the property to get him free.
By the time medics could reach the 47-year-old inside his Abbey Hulton address, he was already dead. His devastated daughter, Kelsey, said he had been to hospital recently for chest pains but was sent home with pain killers.
She told StokeonTrentLive: “We are just devastated – left in complete disarray. The day he passed away, he got up early in the morning and then collapsed behind the bathroom door.
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“Because of that, they couldn’t get behind the door so the fire service had to come and cut the door off. By the time they’d got in, he’d already gone.
“He’d been suffering with chest pains for about a week before he passed away. He went to the hospital a few days prior and got sent home with Co-codamol. We don’t know the cause of death. But we do suspect things were missed because he’d been in and out of hospital for most of the year with different issues.
Kevin Burnett sadly died on Boxing Day
“We all think it could have been prevented, but we’ve got to wait until the post-mortem examination to find out for sure.”
Kevin was also dad to three other daughters – Lucy, Chloe and Sophie. He also leaves behind his partner of 20 years, Gemma Burnett, who he married in 2024.
Speaking about her dad’s death, Kelsey continued: “It’s just been awful. It’s ruined Christmas for us. It’ll never be the same again. But we’re all so glad we got to spend one last happy Christmas together. It was a really good day. I’m just thankful it happened the day after.”
The family is now hoping to raise £8,000 to cover funeral costs. “It’s an awful situation because we feel like we’re begging,” Kelsey said. “But we haven’t got the money to just conjure up £8,000 for all the funeral costs. So we’ve just had to grin and bear it.
“We’ve had the funeral director come across and they gave us a rough estimate of £7,000 just for the service and the plot. Then we’ve got to get the gravestone and the flowers and everything else as well. So, all in all, it’s going to be about £8,500.
“With cash donations and things like that, we’ve managed to raise more than £3,000 so far. We’re very grateful. Lots of people have been donating. Our friends and family, our workplaces, and everyone on the GoFundMe as well.
“Our mum’s now on her own and my youngest sister is only 11, so she’s absolutely distraught. We just try to get through it day-by-day at the moment, but we don’t know why this has happened so we’re still in complete shock.
“He was a funny bloke, with a brilliant sense of humour. He was all about his family, he did everything for us. He worked hard to provide for us. I don’t know what to say. It’s hard to put it into words.
“It’s heartbreaking. We’re all trying to stick together and keep putting one foot in front of the other for our mum. She’s trying to keep busy, cleaning and things to keep her mind off. She’s devastated.
“Life is never going to be the same without you Dad. You’ve left a big hole in all of our hearts. We’ll never go a day without thinking about you and all the amazing things you’ve done for us. I hope you can see just how loved you were by everyone. We will miss you terribly.”
Community support has included Sizzlers and In-Sync Dance Troupe. Click here to view the GoFundMe page.