‘Fit and healthy’ father, 27, died suddenly after cardiac arrest while driving home from football match

The family of a fit and healthy father who died suddenly aged just 27 have spoken out to raise awareness of the condition “sudden cardiac death” (SCD).

Danny Singh-Rathor, 27, died without warning as he drove home from playing his weekly football match in March 2009. The “ambitious and friendly” father of one showed no signs of poor health, leaving his friends and family in shock.

Danny, from Southampton, had planned to go on the trip of a lifetime with his brother Bhadur but had his dream snatched from him as tragedy struck.

Speaking about his brother’s death 15 years ago, Bhadur (now 44) told The Independent: “He was fit and healthy. He used to play football twice a week, so he was healthier than I was, put it that way.

“When he died it was a total shock to us all. Just an unbelievable scenario, like your worst nightmare come true.”

The IT specialist was driving home from one of his weekly football matches on 19 March that year at around 9.30pm when he suffered a heart attack.

For reasons unknown, Danny took a wrong turn on his way home. This led him to a relatively isolated building site rather than the more built-up route he would usually take.

“He must’ve felt something, pulled over, opened the car door and just passed out,” Bhadur said.

“Because it was on a remote industrial site there was no one there to find him. It makes you think if it had happened at a football stadium there might’ve been a defibrillator there, or if he took a right turn he would’ve been in a more built-up area and someone could’ve helped him.”

His sister told him their brother had suffered a heart attack later that evening. When Badhur arrived at the hospital to see 20 to 30 members of his family there, he realised Danny had died.

Bhadur is speaking out about his brother’s story as part of his work with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to raise awareness that each week 12 young people under 35 die from sudden cardiac death in the UK.

As part of the campaign, a mural in Danny’s memory was unveiled in Southampton and a picture of him was projected in Berlin during Euro 2024.

“We both enjoyed travelling and had planned to go places together when he died,” Bhadur said. “It was nice to see his picture projected in Berlin because I know he would’ve wanted to come with us to the Euros.”

Danny’s mural was among 12 launched across the country as part of the new campaign, with each painting commemorating a talented young footballer or fan who died too soon.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive at the BHF, said: “It is devastating that Danny’s hopes and dreams were cruelly snatched away from him. Our thoughts are with Danny’s family, and we want to thank them for working with us to help create this powerful series which shows the true reality of sudden cardiac death.

“Each week, 12 young people under the age of 35 are lost to sudden cardiac death in the UK. These are the lives of children, siblings and parents ended in an instant, leaving their loved ones distraught

“We can help put an end to this tragic reality by funding more lifesaving research – but we can only do this with the help of our supporters. By donating to the BHF, we can protect precious hearts and create a future where young people dying from sudden cardiac death is a distant memory.”