The wife of a man who died while waiting for a heart transplant has vowed to campaign for better treatment.

Sue Dickens believes her husband Jurgen Baumgardt, who died last night aged 54, was left to deteriorate because of lack of investment into a new type of permanent heart pump which could have saved his life.

Mr Baumgardt died at the Harefield Hospital at 10.45pm yesterday before surgeons could find a suitable donor.

His death comes just weeks after his marriage to Ms Dickens. The couple had been together for 19 years before their wedding.

They finally tied the knot at Hove Town Hall in front of a throng of friends after doctors told Mr Baumgardt he had only months to live.

Mr Baumgardt, originally from Berlin, was a keen mandolin player, a passion he pursued throughout his life.

His old band, The Fretful Federation, played at his wedding.

Friends said he will always be remembered for his music and said he was an elegant man who was always calm and positive despite his ordeal.

Mr Baumgardt was taken to Harefield on Thursday where doctors were hoping to stabilise his condition.

A heart became available on Sunday, November 4, but surgeons discovered the donor had a small tumour in his lung so none of his organs could be used.

Mr Baumgardt died before another donor could be found.

Ms Dickens, of Stoneham Road, Hove, has campaigned for more tests to be carried out on an artificial heart pump operation which is still in the experimental stages in the UK and has only been used on a few patients.

She and other campaigners believe the operation could save seriously-ill heart patients without the need for a transplant and have lobbied ministers for more money for vital treatments which could save thousands of people's lives.

Mr Baumgardt was diagnosed with myocarditis and polymyocitis when he was admitted to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton in June.

The damage to his heart left it pumping at only ten per cent strength and he was told he would die without an operation.