A GOLF club captain collapsed died after a double heart attack on the day before he was due to celebrate his appointment.

Tony Durkin, of Sunnyside Lane, Darwen, died aged 62, eleven weeks after he became chairman of Darwen Golf Club and as he prepared for Captain's Day.

The Captain's Day is a privilege granted to the new captain each year when he can invite anyone he wants for his special day.

His wife Dorothy, 60, had been appointed as lady captain and 90 golf club members, friends and family members were due to attend.

Dorothy intends to continue in her role after her husband's death.

Former Darwen Golf Club secretary and friend for over 15 years, John Lawson, said: "He was such a brilliant person, everyone loved him and he will be sadly missed.

"He had a heart attack the day before his Captain's Day. It would have been one of the biggest Captain's Days we'd seen.

"The thing with Tony was that he was friendly with everyone. It didn't matter who you were, he always had time for you, even the junior members.

"He was my playing partner in a lot of competitions and we won more than we lost. He was just a really grand lad."

Mr Durkin suffered an angina attack at 5am on June 8 and was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital where he suffered another angina attack. He suffered a cardiac arrest at 3pm and a second at 6pm. He spent the next few days in an induced coma and on life support before he died last Friday.

His funeral was yesterday at St Joseph's Church.

The couple had two sons Liam, 34, and Neil, 31, and two grandchildren.

Neil said: "He was a keen sportsman and had a passion for life and family."

Mr Durkin spent his working life at Crown Paints, now Akzo Nobel, in Darwen, joining in 1961 and retiring when he was commercial manager.

Mr Lawson said Mr Durkin was a talented footballer in his younger years and had played for the Crown Paints team.