David pays tribute to ‘best brother’

6:54pm Wednesday 21st May 2008

The heartbroken brother of DJ Stevie V Bauja has described the shock of discovering the body of the 37-year-old fitness fanatic, who died of a brain abscess.

Mr Bauja, known as Stevie V, had taken time off from his day job as an insurance advisor because of bad headaches but when he did not ring in sick after almost two weeks, they rang his brother, David, to check on him.

David, 44, visited his brother's home near Lister Park.

He said: "When I went around I couldn't get an answer, so I broke in and found him in the bathroom. I don't know how long he'd been there, the coroner couldn't say exactly."

A post-mortem later revealed he had died from an abscess on the left-hand side of his brain.

"Apparently, it could happen to anyone; it was obviously why he was having the headaches. I went through his phone and found the doctor's number but don't know if he ever went to an appointment.

"If he was like me, he probably went home and took a few tablets and tried to stick it out."

Next month Stevie's friends at the PM Bar in Shipley, where he worked occasionally, are putting on a special night to celebrate his life and funds raised will go towards paying for his funeral.

"His friends have been brilliant, helping me out. Your brother dying like that isn't something you expect.

"He was the best brother, he lived live to the full, he loved his music especially house music, took a lot of pride in his clothes and shoes. He loved Lister Park and used to joke it was his park but he let others use it.

"He was also a keep-fit fanatic that's why all this is so hard to take in."

"It sums it all up really, he was having such a good time," said Mr Bauja who lives in Allerton.

One person who will not be able to get to the funeral is the brothers' 82-year-old father, Vilius, who left Bradford 12 years ago to return to Lithuania.

"He just can't make the trip, his health is too bad. I'm the only family Stevie had here but he had masses of friends - he was that kind of person, he just attracted them," said Mr Bauja.

Friends were at his funeral at Nab Wood Crematorium today when the final song was Don't Stop Me Now by Queen.

Editor's choice