A heartbreaking scene unfolded at St Bede’s Chapel in Teesside, when Norman White, 61, collapsed at his son’s funeral. Norman suffered a suspected heart attack just as the coffin of his son, David Beilicki, was carried inside.
David, 41, had recently died after a long battle with addiction. His sister Chantelle said the double tragedy felt like “something you couldn’t even write in a film.” She added, “It has been so traumatic… I think he must have died from a broken heart.”
Norman was rushed to hospital by paramedics, but doctors could not save him. The family described him as a private but much-loved man, devoted to his children and his passion for boxing.
Now the family is left grieving the loss of both father and son within weeks. Chantelle said, “He was my dad and I idolised him.” Their story is a reminder of how powerful grief can be—and how love and loss are deeply connected.
