Tributes have been pouring in for a Belfast man found dead in Thailand last week.
Robert Lyttle, 51, had been on holiday in Kanchanaburi, staying in an idyllic floating hotel near a popular tourist site at a waterfall on the river Kwai.
Just hours after Rab, as he was known to his friends, was reported missing on Tuesday morning Sai Yok District Police began a search of nearby mountains and river.
Eventually his body was recovered from the river Kwai on Thursday morning.
Rab’s son Robert said the whole family circle are “devastated” at the news.
He added: “It didn’t sink in. I still don’t think it’s properly sunk in. It hit home when we went up to his house yesterday, and we had to go through his belongings to find a couple of things.
“That was hard. The whole family is devastated. We’re in shock. We just can’t believe it.”
Rab, a businessman from East Belfast, was well known within his community through his home heating oil company Robert Lyttle Fuels.
He leaves behind his parents mum Patricia “Pat”, dad Robert older sister Heather and younger brother Peter as well as his children Robert (28), Kyle (23) and Amy (22) and grandchildren Kacey (8) and Hailey (6 months).
Kyle said his father’s death will leave a “gaping hole” in their family and community circle.
“We were up at my nannie’s the last couple of days, and there were people coming up who only knew him from being his customers. They were coming up to make sure my granny and granda and we were all OK.
“Most of his customers were a bit older, they would have ordered coal from my granda and remembered my dad from he was a boy.
“He knew them all by their first name. That was the type of person he was. He took time to interact with every single person.
“When he told customers we were his sons, they couldn’t believe it and you could see the smile on his face. He loved that, people thinking he was our brother.”
Robert, Kyle and Amy paid a moving tribute to their father yesterday as they comforted each other.
Choking back the tears Amy said: “He would do anything for any one of us. He would lay in front of traffic for his kids and grandkids. And he wouldn’t want anything in return. He wouldn’t even want a thank you. That’s just the person he was.”
Robert added: “He was devoted to us. He would do anything for anyone, you wouldn’t even have to ask him, he would just do it. Anything he did revolved around us, his kids and his grandkids.
“But he had a great sense of humour and fun. For example, my oldest daughter Kacey is fussy with her food and he would bring her in a wee box of broccoli just to try and wind her up. Things like that. He had a real sense of fun about him.”
According to Robert, Rab was a keen traveller who loved South East Asia and would often travel alone or meet up with travel friends on arrival.
He said: “He’s travelled to Cambodia, Vietnam and a number of other places. He always said he loved the culture and the warmth and kindness of the people. He had a real passion for travel and exploration.”
As well as being a successful businessman Robert was a well known musician in the rock and punk scene across Northern Ireland.
He formed his first band in the early 80s alongside friends Colin Cowlan, Stephen Tedford and Gary Moore. Playing all across the city in well known rock venues such as The Rosetta and the Art College.
His best friend Colin said he was “shocked” at the news: “I met Rab when we were in 1st year at Lisnasharragh and we became friends when he discovered I had bought a guitar as he already had one and could actually play it. He tried to teach me how to play when I visited him at his mum and dad’s house. There, the jokes bounced off the walls, I’ve never known a family to have such a sense of humour. Over the years we became inseparable, we rehearsed in my grans garage. There is kind of intense friendship that band mates can have, it’s hard to put into words but we all shared that.
“I was due to meet up with him next week when I flew home.
“He was my best friend and I am stunned, shocked and utterly devastated that he’s gone, I’ll always miss him.”
For the last eight years Rab played with Belfast based band Fubar alongside bandmates Davy Greer, Davy Savage and Badger Duncan.
With the band Rab played all across Northern Ireland supporting everyone from XSLF and The Defects to The Members, The Zounds, Ed Tudorpole and Billyclub.
Fellow band member Davy said: “I’ve known Rab since 1986, he was best friends with my wife’s brother. We had similar tastes in music and both played in bands.
“Around 2010 we formed FUBAR together as a punk covers band and had a great time playing some of our favourite songs.
“Rab was a fun loving guy who loved his kids more than anything, he would do anything to help a friend out, and was well liked by fellow musicians and band members.
“He was a keen golfer, and an artist – oils on canvas.
“I was deeply saddened to hear he was gone. I have many happy memories of him as a great guitarist and as a personal friend.”
From left members of Fubar Davy Savage, Badger Duncan, Davy Green and Rab Lyttle
And it wasn’t just Rab’s friends from the music world who paid tribute to him. Close friend Darren Martin said he was “absolutely devastated” by the news and added that hearing of his friend’s death “totally broke my heart”.
Talking about his friend, who he saw regularly, Darren said he would miss the “fun and antics” and said the local community had “lost one of the good ones”.
He added: “He was a great father, a fantastic mate and a true gent. I’ll miss him every day.”
Golfing buddy James McFarlane said Rab was the “perfect golf partner”.
“I met Robert Lyttle nearly 30 years ago through his close friend Len McComb. Rab and I soon became very close friends and golf partners. Playing golf with Rab was always a real delight and pleasure and it took us all over the country and we joined a well known local golf club together.
“Rab’s genuine warm, quick wit and ready banter made him a perfect golf partner and friend. This view was shared by all who had the privilege to know Robert.
“On occasion I had to perform the duties of Rab’s groupie, as he was an extremely accomplished musician and this was as equally enjoyable as 18 holes with him. I was devastated to hear the sad news of his passing and there will be an empty space in my life without him.”
According to Rab’s eldest son Robert his dad’s passions were his kids, music, golf, travel and art. He was an accomplished musician and artist and this love of creativity was handed down to his three children.
In a tearful tribute his daughter Amy revealed: “He was an amazing dad. The best daddy anyone could have asked for. His life revolved around his work, his friends, and his family.
“He was the best artist. His paintings were fantastic. So was his music. He was so talented in so many ways.
“My whole childhood was just Guns and Roses. I was brought up with him playing music, and playing guitar with it. Music was always on the TV, and there was music magazine and records everywhere. It was music from the moment we got up to the moment we went to bed.”
From a very young age Robert Jnr was captivated by guitar thanks to Rab.
He said: “From I was no age I’ve always loved the guitar too. The guitars he has weren’t cheap, and when he went to work I was always over hoking and looking at them. And he’d always know because when he came home there was always something different from the way that he left it.
“I’ve played guitar since primary school. I love music too. He was so passionate about it you couldn’t help but get involved. In terms of music and films, we all have the same taste that our dad did.”
Now the family begin the work to bring Rab home from Thailand. Already son Kyle has been working with other family members behind the scenes.
He explained: “We’re still trying to find out what we have to do. We know we have to wait on the authorities over there releasing him before we can start the proceedings. We had to hunt out his travel insurance.
“Our focus now is on bringing our dad home to where he belongs.”
