Dad, 50, dies just two days after suffering from a sore throat leaving behind devastated family

A HEALTHY dad-of-two has died just days after developing a sore throat, his devastated family has confirmed.

Jay Dignam, from Manchester, was just 50-years-old when he suddenly passed away.

His family are still struggling to come to terms with Jay's death, which is now under investigation.

Jay's younger sister Emma Dunn, 34, had the heartbreaking job of telling her nieces Milly, 18 and Scarlet, 10 that their dad had passed away.

"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," she told .

“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.

“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. It was unbelievably hard."

She said how her big brother was like a second dad.

Jay, from Blackley, had a passion for motorbikes and became well-known in his area for being able to fix "just about anything".

A fundraiser to help support Jay's family has been launched by his best friend.

Matthew Largey wrote: "My aim is to raise as much money as I can to give to his two daughters, to help support them through this truly heartbreaking time.

"Jay was a brilliant example of a man who had a big heart, endless skills under his belt when it came to doing any form of manual labour work, a huge love for bikes and a passion for helping anyone and everyone he could.

"It was clear to everyone who met him that his love for his two daughters, Milly and Scarlet massively outweighed his love for anything else."

Matthew said how Jay would "jump at the opportunity to get his tools out".

"Jay spent his life in Blackley and had many jobs throughout his life, all jobs were completely different from one another which allowed him to gain such a vast set of skills – he was the handiest of handy men that you could have the pleasure of meeting!"