The friend and former co-worker of a tattoo artist has paid tribute to her "younger brother" following his sudden death. Patryk Chlap, 31, was found dead at home in Ilkeston, with his date of death officially recorded as Saturday, January 21.
He was described as a "very kind and good person" by Ewa Zablocka, who became friends with Patryk when he moved to Nottingham from Poland nine years ago. "He was a good friend, he used to be like my younger brother - a very nice person and a good person. Very kind," she told Nottinghamshire Live.
"I knew him from when he came to the UK, I was working in the tattoo shop and he used to come in to borrow some stuff. I asked him to do a tattoo for me and that's how we became friends." He then started working with Ewa at Inkland, in Radford, with the pair also becoming bandmates in hardcore punk outfit Radioactive Rats.
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Ewa, 35, from Top Valley, set up a fundraiser to help secure money to cremate Patryk's body and send his ashes back to his family in Poland. "He has family in Poland who can't afford to come over. He's got no-one in the UK so I felt responsible to do something."
The GoFundMe page has exceeded £4,000, well over the initial target of £2,000. "There were so many people who started to get in touch with me, I didn't expect so many people wanted to help," continued Ewa.
"I'm really happy to say that I have raised even more money than was needed, I'll send the rest to the family in Poland to help organise a proper funeral." Breaking the news of Patryk on its Facebook page, Radioactive Rats said: "We still find it hard to come to terms with this thought and there are no words to describe the emptiness we feel.
"We extend our deepest condolences to Patryk's family and closest friends. Anyone who knew Patryk or had the opportunity to meet him will agree that he was a colourful and positive person. The world is poorer for another talented artist."
The Samaritans run a free 24-hour phone line on 116 123 and also has a website with further details.
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