Family and friends of a disabled man brought forward his 21st birthday because they feared he would die before he reached the landmark.

Michael Grier celebrated in the Martlets Hospice in Hove earlier this month, six weeks before his birthday.

Two days later he died.

Michael suffered from an undiagnosed disorder which meant he could neither walk, eat or talk and needed 24-hour care.

Despite his disability he went camping with the scouts every year and liked abseiling and parachuting.

When Michael developed terminal pneumonia, his family feared he would not survive to celebrate his 21st on December 14.

So relatives gathered around his bed at the Martlets on November 10.

Michael held 21 white helium balloons.

After he died, his mother, Susan, and other family members released the balloons outside the hospice.

They are planning to release more balloons outside Woodvale Crematorium in Brighton after his funeral on Friday.

Mrs Grier, 56, of Badgers Walk, Burgess Hill, said: "Michael was very ill by the time we had the party but I think he did know what was going on.

"He was asleep a lot of the time but kept waking up and seeing us around him.

"He couldn't walk or talk but it didn't matter. He knew so many people and had such a strong character and real sense of fun.

"He would never miss the scouting holidays every year and tried everything from parachutes to boats. But his favourite thing was animals - he loved elephants in particular - and riding the train at Drusillas Park at Alfriston.

"He had his own way of communication.

It is hard to explain.

"I am going to miss him so much and I can't think what it is going to be like not having him around. It has all been so suddenly and we never suspected it could happen."

Michael lived at home while attending Chailey Heritage School near Lewes but after turning 19 he needed adult care so he was looked after at a home in The Droveway, Hove, during the week.

He will also be missed by older brother Phillip, 27, who also has undiagnosed disabilities and lives in Dyke Road, Brighton, and Mrs Grier's partner Steve Collier.

His father, Dudley Grier, died in 1992.