The family of a teenager who died after collapsing outside a nightclub have paid tribute to their “unforgettable son”.

Lee Rebbeck, 18, of Laburnum Avenue, Hove, died shortly after collapsing outside Shooshh nightclub in Kings Road Arches, Brighton, in the early hours of Friday morning.

The former Blatchington Mill sixth-form student, who worked part time at the Co-op supermarket in Hangleton Road, Hove, was resuscitated twice by paramedics on the beach but died of cardiac arrest at about 5.30am.

Lee’s father Simon Rebbeck, 50, described his son as a “diamond of a kid”.

He said: “He would always brighten the room up when he walked in. If anyone was feeling down he’d come in and people would start smiling again.

“He was always joking around and he was very generous too. He was an unforgettable character. Police knocked on our door at about 5.30am. None of it seemed real.

“We have a picture of him taken that night at 3.30am and he’s dancing. Two hours later he was dead.

“In the last picture he does look hot so maybe it was just too much for him. I can say honestly he never took any drugs as far as we were aware. He was so honest to us and he says exactly what’s on the tin.

“Everybody will say that he did anything and everything for everyone.”

Lee had planned to enrol on a civil engineering course at Northbrook College in Worthing in September and later go on to study civil engineering at Bristol University.

Lee’s mother, Mandy, 54, said: “We’ve had friends turning up at the door with bunches of flowers and cards. Other kids want to come down and talk to us about him. He touched a lot of people. ”

Tributes to Lee have been pouring into The Argus newsroom since his death.

Gethin Leiba, 18, from Brighton, said: “He was one of the most generous people I have ever met. On his birthday he won £50 and spent it on a round of drinks, straight away, for all of his friends.”

Dan Tew, 18, from Brighton, said: “Lee was an incredible person with great strength of character, an amazing friend to so many who will be sorely missed by everyone.”

As well as his parents, Lee also leaves behind his sister Claire, 26.

Lee’s family is asking for donations to a tribute fund in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

To donate, visit macmillan.tributefunds.com/lee-rebbeck.