Scotland fan dies after collapsing in Boston as family appeals for help to get him home

The family of a Scotland fan who died after collapsing outside a pub in Boston are appealing for help to bring him home.

Thomas “Tam” Murty took unwell outside The Dubliner pub on June 18 and passed away in hospital the following morning.

The 62-year-old’s loved ones said he was realising the “dream of a lifetime” of seeing Scotland at a World Cup after being “Scotland daft his whole life”.

Thomas’s son, Gavin, said: “He got to live that dream. Surrounded by his fellow fans, in full voice, with the saltire flying – Tam was exactly where he wanted to be.

“Our family is heartbroken. And now we’re facing something no family is ever ready for – bringing Tam home from another country, laying him to rest the way he deserves, and finding our feet without him.

“That’s why we’re asking for help. Every single pound will go towards bringing Thomas home from the United States, giving him the funeral he deserves, and supporting the family he leaves behind.”

A fundraiser launched to help bring Thomas home to Scotland has so far raised over £28,000.

Posting on social media, Thomas’s daughter, Colleen, thanked those who were with her dad when he passed.

She said: “Our eternal thanks go to the friends who travelled there with him and ensured he was not alone and that we were contacted. Thank you Jim, Paul and the kind nurse who stopped to resuscitate him in the street.”

Donations can be made to the fundraiser here.