{"id":953825,"date":"2026-05-12T01:49:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T01:49:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/953825\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T01:49:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T01:49:21","slug":"dad-of-three-who-fell-to-death-from-rooftop-bar-pictured-for-first-time-as-heartbroken-family-pay-tribute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/953825\/","title":{"rendered":"Dad-of-three who fell to death from rooftop bar pictured for first time as heartbroken family pay tribute"},"content":{"rendered":"

Richard Ayling, 40, tragically died in hospital after falling several floors from a bar in Birmingham city centre – he has been described as ‘above all else a family man’<\/p>\n

01:05, 12 May 2026Updated 01:08, 12 May 2026<\/p>\n

\"Richard<\/p>\n

Richard Ayling recently married Amy and the couple were building a life with their three children(Image: GoFundMe)<\/p>\n

Tributes have poured in for a newly-wed dad who fell to his death from a roof-top bar.<\/p>\n

Richard Ayling, 40, tragically died in hospital after falling several floors from Herman and Cooper in Birmingham city centre <\/a>on May, 3. Mr Ayling died one day later at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham<\/a>, surrounded by his devastated family.<\/p>\n

An inquest into the ex-serviceman’s death has opened this week. Opening the inquest at Birmingham Coroner\u2019s Court<\/a>, the coroner described his death as \u201cviolent and unnatural\u201d. The hearing was adjourned until August 10<\/p>\n

The venue of the said on Tuesday, May 5 that it was \u2018deeply saddened\u2019 by the incident, which it confirmed happened on its premises.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur thoughts and sincere condolences are with their family and friends at this incredibly difficult time,” it said.<\/p>\n

Mr Ayling, a maintenance engineer originally from Germany, lived in Newhall near Swadlincote, Derbyshire, with wife Amy.<\/p>\n

\"Police<\/p>\n

Police guard the door at the Henman and Cooper bar on Colmore Row, Birmingham city centre, on Sunday, May 3, 2026.(Image: BPM Media)<\/p>\n

Heartfelt tributes have since poured in for the dad-of-three and a GoFundMe page set up to support his family. The page described his death as a \u201csudden and devastating loss\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis loss has left a hole in the hearts of everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRichard was, above all else, a family man.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fundraiser said that Mr Ayling had recently married his \u201cbeloved wife Amy\u201d. The couple were building a life with their three children Ronnie, Ellie and Logan.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a proud and devoted dad, and his love for his family was at the centre of everything he did,” the tribute continued.<\/p>\n

“Richard dedicated himself to serving and protecting others.”<\/p>\n

\"Richard<\/p>\n

Richard Ayling tragically died in hospital after falling several floors from a bar in Birmingham city centre(Image: GoFundMe)<\/p>\n

Mr Ayling has over 20 years of experience in the rail industry and also worked as a part-time firefighter, where “he gave his time and courage to keep his community safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tribute added: \u201cHe was the kind of person who showed up for others, whether on the job or in everyday life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fundraiser, launched by Duncan Watson, will be used to support Amy and the children during this difficult time, with funds going towards funeral costs. Any additional contributions raised will go towards something lasting in Mr Ayling’s honour, such as a plaque or bench.<\/p>\n

At the time of writing, more than \u00a314,750 had been donated you can donate to the GoFundMe by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Richard Ayling, 40, tragically died in hospital after falling several floors from a bar in Birmingham city centre…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":953826,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,748,393,26305,4884,2207,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-953825","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-birmingham","8":"tag-birmingham","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-funerals","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-hospitals","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116559096962442342","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=953825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953825\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/953826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=953825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=953825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=953825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}