Dave Bell, owner of the Loch Ness Cruises company, which affords tourists the opportunity to get a glimpse of the legendary monster, has died after suffering a “massive heart attack,” the Daily Record reports.
According to the newspaper, Bell, whose enterprise takes visitors on tours of Loch Ness aboard the “Nessie Hunter,” passed away on Friday. His son Mike said his father seemed “perfectly fine” beforehand.
"It is still really hard for us to process at the moment and we are still coming to terms with it," Mike said, reminiscing about how his father moved to Scotland from East London some 21 years ago to give his family "a better life." "He had come up for a holiday and then just decided to move the family up. It was the best decision they ever made. He was loved in the local community and will be missed badly."
The Loch Ness Hub information centre also expressed its condolences over Bell’s passing, noting his contributions to the local community.
"The entire community was shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Dave Bell. In recent years, Dave, his wife Julie and son Michael, took over Loch Ness Cruises and Celtic Crafts from George and Lenora Edwards," it wrote on social media. "Dave dedicated a considerable amount of his life to Glen Urquhart football club, spending many years coaching youth football."