Rickson Williams: Family in shock as 'fit and healthy' man dies in sleep days before 22nd birthday
WALLAVILLE, QUEENSLAND: A grief-stricken family is mourning the death of a "fit and healthy" young man, who died unexpectedly in his sleep just days before his 22nd birthday. Rickson “Ricko” Williams, from the town of Wallaville in Queensland, was found dead in his bed on January 11.
Although the cause of Williams' untimely death is still unknown, his devastated family believes he died from an undiagnosed heart condition. His grieving mother, Tanya Wright, revealed that doctors discovered Williams had an enlarged heart after he died. "We don't know his exact cause of death at this stage but we think it may be related," she told Townsville Bulletin. "He had his whole life ahead of him and had just put in an application to study a bachelor of music."
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Williams, who was a former school captain at Stuart State School, worked at a plant nursery in the rural town of Rollingstone before relocating to Wallaville about four years ago. His untimely death has left his family heartbroken. "This is not a post I was expecting to write but it's nonetheless one that has to be written," Wright wrote on Facebook. "Anyone who knew us knew how much Rickson meant to us and how much this loss will affect our lives and our family."
'He always wanted to be the life of the party'
A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help the heartbroken family raise money for unexpected funeral expenses. On the fundraising page, Wright wrote that Ricko, who always loved life, had "come a tremendously long way from the difficulties he faced only a few short years ago." "He always wanted to be the life of the party, even when there was no party," she continued while adding, "As our family tries to find a way through this heartbreaking, difficult time, I would just like to reach out to our amazing community, a loving family, and amazing friends for your support."
Fundraiser for funeral expenses
She continued, ‘'Although the financial support won't bring Rickson back, it hopefully will help us to give him the farewell he deserves and some time to mourn the unexpected loss of our loving son and brother without the added stress of financial burden." The fundraising page has already raised $6,000 out of the $10k goal. A funeral service for William will be held on Friday, February 3 at Wallaville Hall.