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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Andrew Forgrave & Abigail Nicholson

Dying man's final act was to send a Snapchat selfie to friends

Two parents rushed to their son's hospital bed after being told he only had five hours to live.

Paul Joseph Crane, 36, who is from Liverpool, was admitted to Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor, after having a seizure on Friday, November 4. His mum and dad, Gill and James Trew rushed to his bedside after being told he had just five hours to live on Monday, November 7.

Paul died at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor, following complications arising from acute liver failure. The parents were asked if they wanted to turn off Paul's life support, which Gill said "was the hardest thing I ever had to do", NorthWalesLive reports.

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His final act before losing consciousness on Friday evening was to Snapchat a selfie from his hospital bed. He died at 5.15pm on Monday, having received more than 250 birthday messages the previous day, many from friends unaware of his condition.

James said his stepson’s ability to connect with people was extraordinary.

He said: “He lived his life in the public eye and was such a character. If you met him once, you would always be his friend.

“He had that typical Scouse wit, full of wisecracks, and loved to play verbal table tennis with people. As Paul spent much of his time online, he knew so many people and we’ve had hundreds of messages from around the world expressing their condolences.

“We always said that, had you dropped him in a remote jungle, inhabited by people with little contact with the outside world, someone there would still know him. Once, when Gill and I were visiting the west coast of Scotland, we met a local who said they knew someone from Anglesey. It turned out to be Paul - they'd become friends online.

"In hospital, we announced news of his death on Facebook. By the time we’d driven home across Britannia Bridge, there were already hundreds of messages."

Paul was born in Liverpool and studied hospitality at Wirral Metropolitan College. After a cinema job in Bromborough, he followed his divorced mum to North Wales, where she was running a bar and restaurant at a caravan park.

As well as grandmothers and aunts, Paul leaves behind step-sisters Jessica, 36, and Elisshia, 31. A funeral service is being planned at Bangor Crematorium and a large turn-out is expected.

Online well-wishers spoke about how Paul was a “beautiful soul” and an “amazing young man”. One friend said: “Paul was loved by so many and always brightened up everyone’s day with his cheeky one-liners

Another added: “He was such a light in this dark world. Always had a good hug and natter and, boy, would he make you laugh!”

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