A dad who had been "recovering well" following a surgery for a broken leg died suddenly just five days after the procedure.
Sam Mercer, 35, a Liverpudlian pub landlord, snapped his femur in December and on February 14 had surgery to fix the problem.
He had been recuperating at his home when he died suddenly on Sunday.
His brother Tom said he believed Sam had been 'recovering well' before he received a call on Sunday evening to find out he was being taken to hospital.
By the time Tom arrived at Sam's house in Liverpool, he had already died.
A study in the British Medical Journal in 2013 examined four million operations in England and found 27,000 deaths within a month of surgery, a mortality rate of 0.67 per cent.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Tom Hanlon said: "I spoke to him at 11am that day and he was fine, he was joking around. Then I got the call, went round and the paramedics and police were there.
"They came out to say he was already dead."
Tim said he didn't know what he was going to do without him.
"He just loved life and was always the soul of the party," the distraught brother said. "Sam had the most incredible sense of humour. He got on with everybody and would light up a room. He truly just loved everyone and was the best dad."
Sam, a dad-of-three, leaves behind three children, wife Jenny, mum Susan, dad Andrew and his six siblings: Ben, Jack, Andrew, Matthew, Becky, and Vicky.
He was the landlord of the Volunteer Canteen pub in Waterloo which his brother said was like his "baby". A post on the pub's Facebook page about Sam's death has already got nearly 400 likes and 200 comments.
Sam's family are waiting to find out how he died and an post mortem is yet to take place.
Tom said: "It does not feel real, it's like we are in a nightmare and it has shaken us all to the core, especially my mum. Christmas won't be the same without him, he was always the one to get us laughing and joking around.
"It just makes no sense, he was so fit and went to the gym all the time. He was always getting the kids out and about and was trying to stay active during his surgery.
"I just want to get across what an amazing man he was and how much he meant to everyone. Life will never be the same without him."
