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A food blogger plunged to his death from the roof-top terrace of a City restaurant, it emerged today.

Wilkes McDermid, 39, is understood to have fallen from the Coq D’Argent shortly after it closed late yesterday afternoon.

Mr McDermid, an influential food and drink blogger on the London restaurant scene, had previously caused concern just over two years ago when he went missing in Cape Town while visiting friends.

The alarm was raised yesterday when he tweeted “Final message... thank you everyone” with a link to a blog post saying that he was “tired of life”.

Quoting Samuel Johnson, he wrote: “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford... Johnson was right, I am not tired of London and never have been… however I am tired of life.”

In his last blog Mr McDermid said: “This is a message to thank you for being part of my last adventure in London. Alas, it is time to say goodbye. The reasons ‘why’ will be upsetting for some and very hard to accept for others, so this is addressed separately here. It is up to you whether you wish to read it, but if you wish to judge, I suggest you actually read it rather than take a summary from someone else.”

Friends and Twitter followers tweeted their concern, including chef and food writer Gizzi Erskine who wrote: “I believe a 999 was called a while back.”

Streetfood organisation KERB tweeted today: “So many thoughts and wishes for @wilkes888 and his family today. We hope the best for a dear and constant part of our world. XX”

Friends alerted police after the tweet was posted late yesterday afternoon and Met officers rushed to Mr McDermid’s Chelsea home but there was no one there.

Today City of London police said officers were investigating the death of a 39-year-old man who was seen to fall from a restaurant at Number 1 Poultry. Police said the man’s family had been informed.

In an extraordinary final blog Mr McDermid talks in detail about his life as a food commentator and the changing times of restaurants in London.

He even gives details of his “final meal” saying: “There seems to be a fascination on ‘final meals’ with many people online… mine was at Hawksmoor Spitalfields (400g Ribeye with a Donnington Cesear Salad, triple poked chips with lime pickle mayo side with a Coulston bassett stilton with pears and walnuts). With a Shakey Pete’s Ginger Brew, Rosso Braaida Monferrato Rossso 2009, Meantime Pale Ale, with a Diszinko Tokai.”

He ends the blog with the line: “That’s all folks, in the words of Dr Seuss, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

The restaurant, once owned by Sir Terence Conran, is popular with City workers but has seen a number of suicides from the roof-top terrace in recent years.

Last year, owners D&D London installed 6ft-high barriers and said security guards would question anyone found alone in the roof-top bar.

Erkan Oden, restaurant manager of the Coq d’Argent, this morning told the Standard: “How could this happen because we close at 3pm on a Sunday? This is the first I have heard of it. We had the barriers installed some time ago I believe. We have to investigate and find out what happened because we have heard nothing.”

The restaurant says it closes for lunch on Sunday at 3pm but the bar and terrace remains opens until 5pm.

A spokeswoman for City of London Police said the force “was not treating his death as suspicious”.

Mr McDermid had caused concern in 2012 when he failed to get his scheduled flight home to London and cut off all communication prompting an international search for him by friends and a police investigation.

He was found safe and well after his family flew out to join the search for him.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch — see samaritans.org for details.