TRIBUTES are being paid to a father-of-four who died suddenly of a blood clot.

Robbie Small, 33 of Pill, Newport, died on Monday at the flat his dad Robert Small was working on in Pentonville.

Mr Small, who was born and brought up in the area, had been suffering from thrombosis for a few years.

On Monday, he complained of pains in his chest and his dad offered to take him to the hospital but Mr Small refused.

Later that day, his father left him at the flat he had been working on and when he returned, he found Robbie Small on the floor.

An ambulance was called and the family tried in vane to resuscitate him before paramedics arrived.

A blood clot had developed in his heart, which caused his death.

Mr Small is part of a close-knot family. He has four sisters - Tammy, 30; Truley, 24; Tiffany, 21 and Toyah, 17 and lived with his parents Robert and Kim Small.

His sister Tammy Small led the family tributes: "Robbie was a right character. A real practical joker. He would lie of the sofa and pretend to be asleep but when he 'woke up' he would know everything that we had all been talking about.

"He loved his kids and all his nieces and nephews."

Mr Small had been a pupil at St Julians School and was well known in the area, socialising in the Picton Arms, Pill.

The famiily has had to deal witha lot of heartache in recent years.

Mr Small's mother Kim is the half sister of Lemy Bullock, who was murdered in Pill in 2005.

Their father George Bullock died in 2008 of cancer and a number of close family members have all passed away in their 30s.

"Its come as such a shock. He was a lovely boy, always looking out for his sisters," added Mrs Small.

His nan Gloria Palmer added: "He was always sticking his head round the door, trying to get a sub or borrow a cigarette. Im going to miss that."

Mr Small leaves behind his former partner Andrea Warren and their children Saskia, 10; Sapphire, 8; Sabrina, 6 and Robbie, 4.

His funeral will take place on St Stephen's Church, Newport at 2.30pm on Wednesday.