A FAMILY have paid tribute to their beloved son after he died from consuming a fatal cocktail of drugs over a period of four days.

Ricky Bell was born in Brighton and spent a lot of time with his family.

The 29-year-old was diagnosed with depression and anxiety and had body dysmorphia, an inquest heard.

His mother, Denise, said: “He was such a family-orientated guy.

“When he was really struggling with his anxiety he would spend time with all of us and loved taking our dog for walks.

“He was always the one to organise great family holidays for us all to go on together.”

His father, Ken, said Mr Bell was not a frequent drug user but was influenced by others when he was out partying.

He said: “We never knew him to take drugs like this time he did before he died.

“He was just such a lovely and caring boy.”

Mr Bell’s sister, Georgia, is pregnant with her second child and the family said he was “ecstatic” about becoming an uncle to the baby boy.

Mr Bell was found dead on October 6 last year at a friend’s house in Hampton Place in Brighton.

The “born-and-bred Brightonian” had been on a four-day bender taking drugs including sedative drug GHB, methamphetamine, more commonly known as crystal meth, and cocaine.

His friend, Tim Cronin, was concerned about the amount of drugs Mr Bell had taken over the four days with little sleep and encouraged him to stay with him on the night of October 5.

Despite plans to go and watch Albion play West Ham together that night, Mr Bell was keen to go out and consume more drugs.

Later that night, Mr Cronin said his friend stayed up late at his house in Hampton Place on the computer “studying drugs” and their effects.

The next morning at about 11am he said Mr Bell was lying on the floor.

He assumed he was asleep and did not try and wake him until about 2pm.

Mr Cronin told the court he spoke to his friend, not realising he was unconscious or possibly dead, and believed he was just unable to talk.

He later called an ambulance and Mr Bell was pronounced dead at 5.55pm, minutes after the emergency services arrived.

The toxicology report revealed a high level of drugs in his blood including cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamine.

Despite there not being a fatal amount, Detective Sergeant David Rose, attending the inquest in Brighton and Hove coroners’ court in Woodvale, said the combination of these drugs taken together can be lethal.

Assistant Brighton and Hove coroner Gilva Tisshaw said Mr Bell did not take his own life, but died from consuming a lot of drugs and his prescribed medication.

She said: “He died of multiple drug toxicity. This was a drug-related death.

“It was a case of misadventure, an unintended consequence of an intended act.”