Father of Two, 44, Dies in His Sleep While on Family Vacation: 'I Lost the Love of My Life, My Best Friend,' Wife Says

Cameron Degan was remembered as "a great friend and a great dad and a great husband"

NEED TO KNOW

• A father of two died in his sleep while he was on vacation with his wife and two children in Thailand
• “I lost the love of my life, my best friend,” Kylie Degan said of her late husband, Cameron Degan
• Cameron died unexpectedly at age 44

A father of two unexpectedly died in his sleep during a family vacation.

Cameron Degan’s wife, Kylie Degan, found her husband of 19 years unresponsive at their resort in Phang Nga, Thailand, at around 4 a.m. local time on Sunday, April 12, according to 7 News Australia, News.com.au, and The Australian.

Despite efforts to save him, Degan died. He was 44.

“I lost the love of my life, my best friend," Kylie wrote on social media, per the outlets. “He passed in his sleep, and after working on him for an hour, the ambulance finally arrived, but we could not save him.”

"Charlotte and Jack have lost the best dad in the world,” she added, referring to the couple's two children.

After Cameron's death, a GoFundMe page was created to raise funds for his family's “repatriation to Australia, funeral arrangements, and other immediate expenses.”

“Our family is facing an unimaginable tragedy,” organizer Ashley Green wrote. “This sudden and devastating loss has left them heartbroken. They have now returned home to Australia and are beginning the difficult journey of grieving and rebuilding life without him.”

While Kylie and her family had planned to stay in Thailand from April 7 to April 15, they returned to Australia early after Degan’s sudden death. 

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According to Bec Mullineaux, a close friend who was travelling with the family as part of a longstanding tradition, a trip that started out as the “best holiday ever” soon “spiraled” after she received a frantic call from Kylie screaming for help. 

“The day before, we went and did a tour, and his daughter actually said this is the best holiday she’s ever been on,” Mullineaux recalled to 7 News Australia.

She said Cameron was “the most loyal friend you could ever find in your entire life.”

Mullineaux added that Cameron's death has left Kylie “in a million pieces.”

“Cameron was such an instrumental person in all of our lives,” she said. “Cameron was the definition of a great friend and a great dad and a great husband. There will never be anybody like him ever again.”