Who ‘turned his life around’
held the Mr Wales bodybuilding title for six years. His dad and uncle had also been bodybuilders.
Matthew also volunteered at mental health charity, Moving Mountains 4 Mental Health and began working at Mischief’s Bar.
Rebecca said: “He started working out, he looked better than he ever has. He was healthy and fit and strong. He was happy.
“I feel he was reaching his true potential and was at the highest point in his life when he passed.”
Matthew had been working at Mischief ’s for seven months when he died.
Manager, Shaun Shah, 61, from Cardiff described how Matthew failed to turn up for work on August 17. They contacted a family member who found Matthew dead at his home.
He said: “He was a character, he had a bad past, but we gave him a chance and he was very good at what he did. He always thanked us for giving him a chance.
“It was a terrible shock for all of us here.”
Rhiannon Cornwall was a close friend and colleague of Matthew’s at the bar in Cardiff, where he worked as a chef.
She said: “In his younger days he was a drug addict and he had been to prison. But 17 years ago Matthew stopped it all, he gave up drugs, the bad lifestyle and took up training at the gym.”
She said he used to entertain them with his singing, of sorts.
“Well, he sang very badly here and I’ll miss it. Marvin Gaye, Sexual Healing, was his favourite song and he killed it - I had to put my fingers in my ears.
“He was a little bit accident prone but he was a completely lovable chap.
“He tried climbing Pen y Fan with Moving Mountains 4 Mental Health not long before he died, but didn’t get to the top because of the bad weather and he was disappointed about it - he really wanted to do it again.”
In his memory, friends, family, colleagues and Moving Mountains 4 Mental Health climbed Pen Y Fan so he could finally ‘make it to the top.’
Rebecca flew back to Wales for the walk and wore her father’s coat and said: “The weather was awful but we made it to the top with a banner for him with his #onelove (which he used in social media videos) and a memorial plaque that my uncle Chris carried all the way to the top.
“The plaque was cemented in so he can always be visited.
“I love him dearly, he was my support,
Matthew was an enthusiastic bodybuilder
my rock, he always had my back. I miss just seeing his face pop up on my phone, a message saying he loved me or just knowing he was there If I wanted a chat.”
Mischief’s is holding a reggae night in memory of Matthew on September 27, at 7pm. The event features live music from Zion Road.