Father-of-three, 46, died in front of his wife at his work Christmas party after dancing to Gangnam Style

Eamonn Kilbride, 46, died at Thwaites office party in Darwen, Lancashire

Had been dancing to Korean YouTube hit just minutes before he collapsed

Wife and three children paid tribute to football fan who was 'life of the party'



A father collapsed and died of a heart attack in front of his wife and co-workers minutes after dancing energetically to Gangnam Style at his office Christmas party.



Eamonn Kilbride, 46, had been imitating the vigorous dance moves of the Korean YouTube hit when he began to suffer from chest pains on Saturday evening.



Shocked colleagues from the Thwaites brewery in Blackburn looked on as paramedics tried in vain to revive the Irish father of three at the office party.



His wife Julie was with him celebrating her birthday at the event at the Whitehall Hotel in Darwen, Lancashire.



Shocked: Julie Kilbride, right, was devastated to watch her husband Eamonn, left, collapse and die

Mr Kilbride began to complain of chest pains shortly before he collapsed, whereupon his wife tried to save his life using CPR.



Although paramedics were on the scene just five minutes later, the IT manager was pronounced dead on arrival at Royal Blackburn Hospital shortly after 11.30pm.

The coroner who examined him concluded that he had suffered from acute heart failure.



Mrs Kilbride, from Burnley, paid tribute to the 'loving husband' she married 23 years ago, and said he was a man who always put his family first.



'I want people to know how he would help anybody whether it was a life-long friend, or someone he had just met,' she said.



'He was a great family man and he worked so hard. Eamonn was always the life of the party and loved dancing.

Death: The Thwaites brewery party was being held at the Whitehall Hotel in Darwen, Lancashire

'We were having a fantastic time at the Christmas party and Eamonn had just finished dancing to Gangnam Style. He was up on stage and entertaining everybody.



'He said he had a bit of a pain and just collapsed. I tried to revive him until the ambulance got there, but by the time he got to the hospital he was gone.'



Mr Kilbride moved to Burnley from Ireland in 1985, and became a staunch Liverpool fan in his adopted country.



His wife said: 'Eamonn was such an intelligent man, he inspired our children and made sure they had a good education.'



Mr Kilbride, a keen golfer, had three children - Laurajade, 22, Jack, 21, and Conor, 18, who are all at university.

Phenomenon: Gangnam Style, by South Korean rapper Psy, is the most popular video on YouTube

Party: The father of three had been dancing to Gangnam Style, pictured, at his office Christmas bash

Jack said: 'He was a marvellous man and he was really funny. He always put effort into everything. He just oozed charisma.'



Tributes poured in on Facebook for Mr Kilbride, who had worked at Thwaites for 16 years.



His cousin Pauline Mulvy said: 'My dear cousin Eamonn may you rest in peace. My heart aches for his wife Julie and his family, including his sisters and his mother. You are in my thoughts and prayers here in Dublin. What shocking news to hear.'



Police launched an initial investigation into Mr Kilbride's death, but quickly ruled out suspicious circumstances.



Neil Bullows, proprietor of the Whitehall Hotel, said: 'It is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts are with his family.



'It is horrendous and an awful time of year for it to happen.'

