Tributes have been paid to a Suffolk DJ who died suddenly from a suspected heart attack while presenting his popular breakfast show on Monday morning.

GenX Radio Suffolk DJ Tim Gough was at his home in Lackford when he died aged 55 at 7.50am, leaving his colleagues ‘shocked and devastated beyond words.’

His career in radio spanned 36 years, beginning at Radio Orwell in 1986, before he went on to present the breakfast show on Saxon Radio and SGR-FM, along with appearing on national station Smooth Radio and various stations in the east Midlands.

As well as radio, the Norwich City fan was passionate about travelling, socialising, photography, reading, music, film and TV, while he also enjoyed taking his labrador Cooper on walks through the Suffolk countryside.

James Hazell, managing director of GenX Radio Suffolk, described Mr Gough ‘as a hugely experienced and highly talented broadcaster with an army of fans for his daily programme.’

He added: “Tim has been on the radio since the 80s and had come out of radio retirement to fully involve himself in our project from the beginning, to bring local commercial radio back to his beloved Suffolk and was hugely excited for our DAB launch at the end of the month.

“To know Tim personally, as I did very closely for over 30 years, was to know a warm, caring, fun guy who myself and my family loved dearly. We are heartbroken by the news.

“I know his family are enormously comforted by the hundreds of loving messages that have been received and have asked for privacy at this devastating time”.

He said Mr Gough was a ‘very sad loss to radio and the county of Suffolk,’ adding that he would be ‘lovingly remembered’ by his mother, brother, sister and son.

Details of his funeral service are not yet known.