A grieving mother has paid tribute to her son who died at the age of 34.
Dundee-born Allan Duncan, who fought a long battle with alcoholism, passed away at his home in Vancouver.
A coroner’s report later revealed he died from intestinal bleeding brought on by alcohol abuse.
Allan’s mum Lynda said: “He was a loving and caring chap but the problem was he didn’t take care of himself while taking care of everyone else.”
Allan called Lynda, 58, the day before he died complaining of feeling unwell. After struggling to contact him the next day, she got a ferry from her home in Nanaimo to Vancouver, where police gave her the devastating news that he had passed away.
Lynda visited some of Allan’s friends, who are also fighting alcoholism, urging them to change.
She added: “I explained graphically to them what had happened to Allan. I talked about how he looked so healthy but this is what can happen.
“They are quite big guys but they were all in tears. I’m going to keep in touch with them and try to help them.”
The keen joiner and carpenter originally lived in Charleston and attended Ancrum Road Primary School before making the move across the Atlantic.
His family described him as “a pleasant laddie”.
Linda added: “He was a very cheery, happy man. He made a difference to every life that he touched.”
Lynda said: “No matter how he felt, he always tried to cheer up people whether it was opening doors for old women or stopping to chat to people.”
Allan’s aunt June Field added: “Allan was a well-mannered man who put his heart and soul into helping others.
“There was a girl in his sobriety group who had to go into a facility for 35 days of detox and she was really frightened.
“Allan told her she needed to do it to save her life and he wrote to her every single day for 35 days to keep her going. That is the kind of person he was.”
Allan’s funeral was held in Vancouver. As well as mum Lynda, he is survived by his dad John, brother Ross and stepfather Tim.