Dan and I met in 1996 in our first year at university. I don’t remember hitting it off immediately, but for some reason at the end of our first year we decided to travel round Europe together. It was an eventful trip and it cemented our friendship. We were in each other’s lives ever since. We never lived in the same place after Oxford, but we were in frequent contact and met up whenever we could. We both coincidently moved to South America at the same time and saw each other in both Brazil and Argentina.

I’ve been struggling to come to terms with his death since I heard just over a week ago and writing this is difficult. What will I miss about Dan? I’ll miss the verbal sparing and the giving and receiving of imaginative insults. The things we could get away with saying to each other was a mark of deep friendship. I’ll miss our heated pseudo-intellectual debates about history and politics. I’ll miss the puerile jokes he’d send me on whatsapp and having an outlet for my puerile jokes. I’ll miss his knowledge and curiosity about every subject under the sun. Of all my friends, Dan was the one I found it easiest to talk to about emotional stuff and most of all I’ll just miss having him in my life. I’m glad that he got the chance to meet my wife and kids last time he was in the UK. He always asked after my boys and I’m sorry he won’t get the chance to see them grow up.

As others have said, Rachel was the best thing to ever happen to Dan. I’ll always be grateful to her for giving my friend so much happiness, stability, and love. I cannot fathom her loss.

My condolences to Rachel, the Kittens and his entire family. He was a brilliant and witty person, and I enjoyed having discussions with him. He will be missed. 

Dear Rachel

Sorry to hear sad news about Daniel.

I send you my deepest condolences. I am thinking of you and family.