Tributes to ‘force of nature’ DJ who died at Pontins
ADJ who died after being taken to hospital from Pontins in Southport was a “force of nature”.
Ellen Percival was found unconscious on Friday, May 6 after attending the first night of Bangface Weekender Festival at Southport Pontins.
The 33-year-old DJ from Bristol was rushed to Southport General Hospital after their partner woke up to find them unconscious.
Ellen, also known as DJ Mooncup, was pronounced dead a short time later at 8.30am and Merseyside Police said they are not treating their death as suspicious. A file will be passed to the coroner due to Ellen’s sudden and unexpected death.
A Merseyside Police spokesperson said: “We can confirm that officers were made aware of an incident this morning at Pontins Southport Holiday Park. It was reported that a person in her 30s was found unconscious at a room on the resort.
“Emergency services attended and the person was taken to hospital where they sadly passed away. The person’s next of kin have been informed and the death is not believed to be suspicious. Our investigations are continuing into the incident and a file will be passed to the coroner.”
A spokesperson for Britannia Hotels, which owns Pontins, said: “May we take this opportunity to send our deepest condolences to the family in these most distressing of times.”
Ellen’s dad, Martin Percival, posted an update on Facebook one week after his daughter’s death.
He said: “It’s with the very heaviest of hearts that I have to let everyone know that my daughter, Ellen Percival, died last Friday, May 6.
“This is, of course, just about the worst possible news that any parent could ever have to share. Ellen was with a group of friends and their partner Oli Gray, at the Bangface Weekender Festival at Southport Pontins.
“They had a good evening on
Thursday and were looking forward to the rest of the festival. The next morning Ellen simply didn’t wake up. After realising that something wasn’t right, Oli tried to revive them.
“He then called 999. The paramedics arrived swiftly and they did their very best. They then took Ellen by ambulance to Southport General Hospital, where sadly Ellen was pronounced dead at 8.30am on Friday morning.”
Martin said his daughter, who he described as “a force of nature”, had just bought a house with their partner and was talking about the possibility of starting a family.
He said: “Ellen was a force of nature and I was so very proud of my daughter. They packed more into 33 years than many people do in more than double that number of years.
“Ellen and Oli had just bought a house in Bristol, were talking about possibly starting a family and have a lovely cat called Arthur.
“Ellen was enjoying their job in the library at Bristol University, was finishing off their MSc in biological recording, totally enjoying their club and radio DJ work and always had multiple projects on the go.
“Farewell DJ Mooncup - you burned so very, very brightly and will never be forgotten.”