A 31-year-old bartender with a “huge smile” has been found dead in his London flat after suffering a suspected heart attack. Matteo Leone’s flatmates discovered him unconscious and not breathing in the early hours of Sunday, January 4.

Emergency services were called immediately, but nothing could be done for Matteo, who is thought to have died in his sleep. Post-mortem results are still to come, but preliminary reports point to a possible heart attack as the cause of death.

Matteo was reportedly “very happy” with his job as a bartender in London. One photo shows him smiling while preparing a cocktail behind the bar at Shoreditch’s Looking Glass Cocktail Club.

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He had been living in London for some time, having moved after his studies to experience big city life and improve his English. Born in Canosa di Puglia, north-west of Bari, Matteo had spent much of his life in Castiglione Messer Raimondo, north-west of Pescara.

His devastated father Graziano Leone, who commands a police station in Pescara, flew to London on Sunday. Matteo is also survived by his mother and three siblings. A vigil was held in his memory at Shoreditch Park yesterday evening.

His body is expected to be repatriated to Italy. Friend Mirko wrote: “I’d like to slap you for leaving us like this. You were always there with that huge smile, shouting and singing around the house. That’s how we’ll remember you forever.

“Have a good journey, Matté.”