Parents pay tribute to skydiver son after jump death

The parents of a parachutist who died after he landed badly on askydive yesterday described their devastation at losing a "truly fantastic son".

Ryan Brown, 31, from Rawcliffe in East Yorkshire, suffered multiple injuries in the parachute jump at a family open-air music festival in Bridlington on August 22. He was airlifted to Scarborough General Hospital shortly after the accident but later died as a result of his injuries.

Yesterday, his parents paid an emotional tribute to their son, who died on the same day his father celebrated his 60th birthday.

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In a statement released through Humberside Police his father, Dave Brown, said: "Ryan was a true gentleman, not shy of showing his emotions.

"He would give me a hug every day when we met for breakfast or when one of us was going out. Not only was he my son, but he was my best friend, we were extremely close.

"The day Ryan died, it was my 60th birthday, and he rang me whilst I was in France to wish me a happy birthday. He was incredibly

considerate to his family and his friends."

The 31-year-old had recently proposed to his American girlfriend Bethyny and was preparing to be with her and her son Raistlin. He also leaves behind his younger sister Gemma.

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His mother, Jenny Brown, said her son had visited numerous places around the world, including America, the Czech Republic, Australia, Italy and France, and was able to win people over wherever he visited.

"He had a natural charm," she said, "making friends everywhere he went and was a truly fantastic son and great to be around.

"Ryan had such a funny sense of humour and always made me laugh when I needed a lift. I am immensely proud of everything he achieved in his life. He was a bit of a daredevil, loving motorbikes and skydiving – he was a very dedicated and intelligent young man."

The couple described how their son's motto was: "Life is a journey, not a destination", and said he was just 15 when he took his first

parachute jump from 4,500ft with his father.

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Four years ago he took up skydiving with a passion and joined the Skydive GB club in Bridlington and a display team that raised money for charity.

In that time he qualified as a skydiving instructor and had between 300 and 400 jumps under his belt, often doing two or three jumps a day.

The British Parachuting Association along with Humberside Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding Mr Brown's death.