TRIBUTES have been paid to a Great Harwood doctor following his sudden death.

Dr Mamdouh Mohamed Ahmed collapsed at his home in Park Lane on Monday, March 16.

The father-of-two was 63, and was survived by his wife of 34 years Patricia and children Ophelia and Sherif.

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Ophelia, a 25-year-old insurance worker, said yesterday: “My dad is my hero. I’m heart-broken, we all are.

“He was the funniest guy. He could get a smile out of anybody.

“He was the best person ever and I miss him.”

Dr Ahmed was born in Egypt and moved to London to study. He moved to Manchester and later Blackburn, where he worked as an ENT registrar at Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

He went on to treat the people of Great Harwood from his surgery in St Hubert’s Road for almost 25 years before retiring early in 2011.

Councillor Noordad Aziz, said the two had met on several occasions.

He said: “He always went beyond the call of duty to make sure he looked after his patients.”

A post mortem examination was carried out following Dr Ahmed’s sudden death, with the family told they face a four-to-six-week wait to find out the cause.

A Muslim funeral was held at the Segar Street Mosque on Tuesday, ahead of a non-religious service at Accrington Crematorium from 11am next Thursday.

Dr Ahmed will then be laid to rest at Whalley and Wiswell Cemetery. Flowers are welcome, as are donations on behalf of Cancer Research UK and The British Heart Foundation, via Champ Funeral Services, Bank House, Whalley Road, Clayton-le-Moors.