The brother of a student believed to have taken his own life after realising he couldn't afford to go to university says his heartbreaking final tweet was "not the full truth".
Rory Wood, 27, was found dead on Tuesday and while his cause of death has not been announced, his family believe he took his own life.
Police said he was first reported missing just after 2am on Monday having failed to return home from work and he died the following day.
The podcaster, who had a significant Twitter following, had given the University of Manchester a £1000 deposit for a Master's degree but was then unable to afford living expenses, the Manchester Evening News reports.
He tweeted about his ordeal before his death and yesterday morning a friend alleged the university had rejected his application, which the University of Manchester has denied.
Brother Dan Wood has since spoken out to "clear the air" after the university was slated on social media as well as to pay tribute to Rory.
Dan told the MEN that Rory had been struggling with mental health issues for a long time.
He said that as far as he was aware, there had not been any communication between his brother and the university about the deposit or about cancelling his place.
He added that his brother "loved the city", despite being angry about the cost-of-living crisis.
Dan said: "I think it's important to clear the air. Rory was suffering with mental illness for a long time and it has always been a struggle.
"He had completed his bachelor's degree at the Open University and found out last week that he got a 2:1. This was all about moving onto the next stage.
"I think he came to the conclusion that he was not ready to move away and go to Manchester and live by himself and support himself."
Dan added: "He had already been accepted to study at the University of Manchester and would have started in September. He had always been a very politically-engaged person and was quite an angry person.
"He was angry about the cost-of-living situation and he had been working part-time to fund moving to Manchester and was angrier about the price of having to plan all this rather than to do it. He was really excited to go to Manchester.
"He went to the open day and stayed over and he loved the city. He felt that this was something he wanted to do but he did not have the mental capacity to do it. That's the sad thing."
Dan said that Rory had mentioned to his mum about paying a deposit to the university, but had not clarified how much was paid or what exactly this was for.
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He added that Rory had always lived with his family and would have been able to get financial help if he needed it.
He added: "I think from our perspective as far as we are aware the university has been supportive and we are not aware of any communication between Rory and the university about deposits or about cancelling his place, although the university's statement was probably not as clear as it could have been."
One of Rory's final tweets said: "I lost one grand in a deposit to a university because, while I met the offer requirements, it became clear that I hadn't made nearly enough money to fund the living costs after two years saving in full-time work. There were no university fees in this country until 1998 btw."
He added on his @thekafkadude account: "Everything just feels impossible and unliveable."
Rory's friend Phoca Vitulina alleged in her tweet: "So Manchester University took an applicants £1k, rejected their application because they can’t make living costs, and didn’t give the money back.
"This applicant, a friend, then dies by suicide because of his absolute hopelessness of his situation. It’s absolutely scandalous."
Speaking about some of his brother's final tweets, Dan mentioned Rory used a "persona" on Twitter.
He added: "That last tweet he made he directed his anger to the university. I think from our perspective it is not the full truth, it is the image he wanted to portray."
Paying tribute to Rory, his family said: "Thank you for all of your love for our beautiful son, brother, nephew and cousin, Rory. We are completely humbled and overwhelmed by the messages of support on Twitter.
"We realise that there are people on here that truly loved him and the fact that he made your days just a little bit brighter brings a smile to our faces in these tragic times. Rory may not have mentioned it on here but he has always had a loving and supportive friends and family that tried everything to help him but his battle with his brain sadly overcame him.
"We ask that Rory's legacy is the increased awareness of mental illness - please all look after yourselves and always remember to speak out. Rory completing his bachelor's degree in politics, philosophy and economics last week was one of the proudest moments of our lives. We will never stop loving you, Rory."
In full, the University of Manchester statement said: "We are very aware of the upsetting reports online about a student applicant and are looking into what has been said as a matter of urgency.
"Out of respect we are not commenting further as yet but, if confirmed, we extend our utmost sympathy. We can confirm that a place was successfully secured for a Master's at the University.
"According to our records, this application is still open and wasn't withdrawn by the applicant and has not been rejected by the University.
"From our initial enquiries, we can find no record or email correspondence suggesting any request for a refund or further request for help."
West Mercia Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding Rory's death and an inquest is expected to take place.
A spokesperson said: "Rory Wood was first reported missing just after 2am on Monday 25 July having failed to return home from work. Sadly, on Tuesday 26 July, it was confirmed that Rory had passed away.
"There is not believed to be any third party involvement, and his next of kin have been informed. A report will now be prepared for the coroner."
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