RICK Dermody was just days away from returning to his family in Adelaide when he was fatally bashed in a Darwin carpark.

Rick, 39, described as a happy-go-lucky bloke with a love of poker and karaoke, died at the weekend as a result of his injuries.

His daughter Kiara was at her father's bedside when he died in Royal Darwin Hospital on Sunday.

On Monday last week, he was set upon by two groups of youths just minutes apart in the Casuarina Shopping Centre carpark.

The youths first attacked him at 5.45pm under Woolworths and stole a bottle of alcohol. A short time later, as Rick was walking out another carpark exit, he was attacked again by another group.

His father, Preston Dermody, had spoken to him on the phone just hours earlier.

Rick said he had lined up work in South Australia and to expect him back in Munno Para West on Thursday, as soon as his pay had been deposited into his bank account

But on Thursday, Mr Dermody received a message from Rick's 21-year-old daughter, Kiara, to contact her.

"I thought Rick must have run out of credit on his phone and he was stuck at the airport,'' he said.

"But that wasn't the news. It was devastating ... That was the first I knew anything had happened.''

Rick, or Ricky to his mates, had been in the NT only a couple months, picking up odd jobs where he could.

He had moved north to "start fresh and make his daughter proud''.

"He loved poker and karaoke and would always sing Sweet Child Of Mine and dedicate it to Kiara,'' Mr Dermody said.

"He would tell people that - that it was for his daughter.''

Younger brother Preston Jnr remembers being glued to the TV watching AFL matches with Rick - a Port Adelaide supporter - but most profound was watching him become a doting father.

"He had a really close relationship with Kiara,'' Preston Jnr said.

"But he always put others first ... he would sometimes pick a rose or a flower, whatever was in bloom, and give them to his friends' kids. I don't want to come out and say things like 'he was an angel' and that sort of thing, but he really was a top bloke'.''

Kiara had flown to Darwin and was beside her father's side when he died.

Police charged two males, aged 16 and 18, last week. Their charges of unlawfully causing serious harm and stealing are likely to be upgraded.

Four other attackers are still being sought by police.