A FAMILY is facing an anxious wait to find out if they have a faulty gene which caused the unexpected death of their singer father.

Laura Lowe said her ‘nightmare’ following the death of husband Russell was continuing after being told her 11-year-old son has a 50 per cent chance of inheriting sudden arrhythmic death syndrome.

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Mr Lowe, 53, was the frontman of mod band The Itch, with hundreds turning out for a charity concert dedicated to him at the weekend.

Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome is a medical condition which affects the heart’s ability to pump.

In many cases people die suddenly without any symptoms.

However if it is diagnosed the person can have a defibrillator fitted which gives the heart a life-saving kick if its rhythm is disrupted.

Mr Lowe’s four children,11-year-old Harvey and Steven, 34, Nicola, 33, and Chelsea, 22 from a previous relationship, are all being tested to see if they have the gene that can cause the condition.

His brothers and sisters will also undergo a series of tests including an electrocardiogram (ECG), having to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours and stress tests.

Laura, 39, of Queen Street, Clayton-le-Moors, said Russell had been to the doctors nine years before he died after experiencing heart palpitations, but he had never had consistent symptoms and his death came as a total shock.

She said: “It is a very shocking thing to happen when you think your husband is fit and healthy. It was very sudden.

“During the first post-mortem they could not find anything wrong so had to take his heart to London for further tests.

“We found out in August that it was sudden arrhythmic death syndrome that caused it.

“Russell kept himself really fit. I’m a boxing coach and he would train with me.”

The support worker also advised people to visit their doctor if they experience symptoms including palpitations, blackouts, feeling tired or breathless.

Harvey, a pupil at St Christopher’s CE High School in Accrington, has been to see a genetics specialist in Manchester and will continue to have checks for the next few years even if nothing is found.

“It is a long, drawn out process for Harvey. It could take up to six months,” she said.

“It is like my nightmare is not over. It is one continuous nightmare. I’m worried about his children.

“Russell was so young. You think you have the rest of your life ahead. It is devastating.

“They can medicate it and insert a defibrillator. People can live normal lives if diagnosed. That makes it even more cruel. They could have done something for him if he had shown the symptoms.

“Having read into it, it can affect all different age ranges. These people are fit and healthy and then suddenly they are cruelly taken away.”

Describing him as her ‘soulmate’, she said music-loving Mr Lowe, who brought up Laura’s son Zach, 20, was a ‘loving and caring man’ and a ‘joker’.

She added: “He was such a loving husband. We were together for 18 years. Not many people can say they have met their soulmate and lost them. It feels like we should have had many more years together. It is just so cruel.

“It is not something you ever get over. You just have to learn to accept it and learn to live with it.”

She said after his death, tributes also poured in from colleagues at Accrington Academy where he worked as a site supervisor.

“They said he was always willing to help and always had a smile on his face.”

As well as being the frontman for The Itch, Mr Lowe sang with White Riot who performed at the Tribute to Russell Lowe concert on Saturday night at the Poplar Club in Accrington.

Around 340 people turned out for the event which raised money for the British Heart Foundation in memory of Mr Lowe and the father of bandmates Colin and Dave Benmore who also passed away from a heart condition.