Reverend Richard Coles has shared some heartbreaking news with his fans. Taking to Twitter on Wednesday evening, the 58-year-old sadly announced the death of a beloved family member. "My lovely sister-in-law @lozamandine died this afternoon with COVID19," he wrote. "She made lots of people very happy, not least @RevDavidColes, with whom she went on extravagant and unauthorized expeditions to her beloved North Africa. RIP, darling woman." Richard also shared a photo of Louise with David, who tragically also passed away in December.
Reverend Richard Coles has announced the death of his beloved sister-in-law
Richard and David entered into a civil partnership in 2005 and remained together until his passing last year. David was just 42 at the time. Announcing the news of his death on Twitter, devastated Richard shared: "I'm very sorry to say that @RevDavidColes has died. He had been ill for a while. Thanks to the brilliant teams who looked after him at @KettGeneral. Funeral details to follow. 'The Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.'"
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Just last month, he spoke about how he has dealt with his grief in an interview with the Guardian. He explained: "After David died, there was a woman at the hospital who had been widowed, too. She said, 'You're going to be mad, for a while. People will never be as nice to you again as they are now, so milk it for all you can.'"
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Richard added: "I've had to subtract David from the future and that has taken all the future with it. It’s a bit blank. I think: ‘What the [expletive] am I going to do? Play the accordion and go to bed at ten past six, I guess.’ Of course, it’s not the end of my life. But it feels like it’s over sometimes."
Richard and David entered into a civil partnership in 2005
The interview confirmed that David had sadly died from an underlying health condition that caused internal bleeding. After being taken to A&E for surgery, he sadly never recovered from the operation. Speaking about meeting David for the first time, Richard said: "From the minute we met – boom! I never for a minute thought – no matter what happened – we would ever part." He added: "Christianity doesn’t get you out of death. It just says there’s something beyond it. But it doesn’t get you out of loss or grief, or bereavement. It doesn’t spare you any of that. On the contrary, I think it probably intensifies it… But I am a Christian and I don’t think this is all there is. Everything that was good about me and David, that’s not finished. Nothing in that has flickered or faded at all."