A MUSICIAN and porter was found dead at home when friends from work went to check on him.

Gary Mason, 54, a porter at the Yarbridge Inn, killed himself after a long struggle with alcohol, an inquest at the Isle of Wight Coroner's Court heard on Tuesday (October 22).

His body was discovered by his work colleagues at 8.20pm on February 1, at his home on Church Lane, Brading.

Mr Mason had struggled with alcohol dependency after suffering a series of personal tragedies and witnessing three men die in a crane accident in 2000.

His previous long-term partner, Rita Noble, told the court: "In 2000 he was a first responder to an accident at a construction site in Canary Wharf, where he saw three men killed.

"In 1997 his father passed away and in 2010 he lost his mother and on the same day lost his brother to an embolism.

"He always drank socially before that, but afterwards he would drink a bottle of brandy a day.

"After that, we experienced a really hard time as a family.

"He was a musician, but he got sacked from the last band he worked for when he kept turning up drunk."

Coroner Caroline Sumeray said: "Mr Mason struggled with alcohol addiction and post traumatic stress disorder following multiple tragedies in his life.

"I am confident he intended the circumstances that ended his life and for those reasons I am concluding a suicide."

The cause of death was hanging.

The following organisations offer free and confidential support over the phone:

Samaritans -116 123 24 hour support, every day of the year www.samaritans.org

Papyrus 0800 068 41 41 Monday to Friday 10am to 10pm, weekends 2pm to 10pm, bank holidays 2pm to 10pm or Text 0778 620 9697 – prevention of young suicide www.papyrus-uk.org

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – 0800 58 58 58, 5pm – midnight. Dedicated to preventing male suicide www.thecalmzone.net

Mind - 0300 123 3393, 9am - 6pm, Mon - Fri (except Bank Holidays). Advises on a range of mental health issues www.mind.org.uk

Young Minds - 0808 802 5544, 9.30am - 4pm, Mon - Fri. Supports any adult worried about a child’s welfare www.youngminds.org.uk

The Mix - 0808 808 4994, 2pm - 11pm, Mon - Sun. Helpline for people under the age of 25 www.themix.org.uk