Friends and family shocked as rock star, 31, found dead at home after suffering heart attack
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The devastated friends and family of a well-known musician have spoken of their heartbreak and shock after his sudden death.
'Rockstar' Dave Sinclair was found dead after having a heart attack at home in Hull on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old had been the frontman for several bands in the area and his family have said his death has left them stunned.
Dozens have now paid tribute to the "spark of life" musician, reports the Hull Daily Mail.
Dave’s mum, Jo, said she could not put into words how he had made her feel throughout his life.
(Image: Facebook)
“We are a very close family," she said. "Dave was five weeks early, weighed 5lb 2oz and I think that was the only time in his life he has ever been early.
"From the day he was born I can’t explain the feeling he gave me.
“Every day I will have this feeling in my heart and it’s not just because of what’s happened, but because this is what David made me feel. He was the spark of life.”
Dave, also known as Cardo, fronted bands such as Mother and GST Cardinals.
Dozens of his loved ones and friends packed out the Queens pub in Hull on Saturday afternoon to mourn him.
Close friend Grant Dobbs, who had known Dave since he was 18, led the emotional tributes to his “rockstar” friend.
“I wanted to make sure that every life he touched was in this room together,” said Grant, who plays drums in cult Hull band The Paddingtons.
“He was always in here. He’s the only person to get people unbanned from the pub for one day only, for today.
“If there’s a thousand wild stories you could tell about this man then 99 per cent are too true to believe. Why print the truth when you can print the legend.
“With Cardo you have to print the truth because you won’t believe the legend."
(Image: Facebook)
Mr Dobbs said he was still in disbelief about his close friend's death.
“If the brightest star can go then anyone can," he said.
“We’re going to have a party what he would have had. I keep thinking he’s going to walk through the door.
“He needs to be spoken about, though. He was a rock and roll star. You had to meet the man for him to have such an effect on you.
"He had the Cardo-effect. He’s touched everybody’s hearts in here. He never had a bad word to say about anyone.
“It would kill him to think people were shedding a tear on his behalf.”
Dave was rarely seen without his bulldog, Barney. He had previously bought the Methodist hall in Princes Road and renovated it by hand before moving to Dunswell, where he was found on Tuesday.
(Image: Facebook)
His younger sister, Jodie, said: “This was his watering hole and it felt natural to hold a party here because this was the place he always came.
“Barney was like his son, and I’ll never be an aunty to kids but I will always be an aunty to Barney. He loved him.”
Dave Mays, owner of The Polar Bear in Spring Bank, said Cardo was a “true entertainer”.
“He did his last gig at Polar Bear two weeks ago as an Oasis tribute,” he said. “He was Liam Gallagher for the night, and he made Liam Gallagher look like Donny Osmond.
“He was an entertainer not just on the stage but the minute he got out of bed in the morning.
“I’ve known him since he was 17. I was looking after a band at the time and he used to come to the gigs and he absolutely wanted it. He wanted to be a rockstar and he was.
“His mum wanted to hold the wake at Polar Bear but judging by the amount of people here today we’re not going to be big enough.”
The Polar Bear will be holding a tribute night to Dave on Friday, when four original members of The Paddingtons will perform a Strokes tribute act in honour of their friend.