Wife's worst nightmare as Aussie man dies in 'freak accident' on French holiday

The heartbroken family of an Australian resident who died in a "freak accident" in France have paid tribute to the "charismatic, passionate" dog trainer and comedian, who was "so very loved" by many all around the world.

Tony Knight, from Ballarat in Victoria, was travelling through France last month and was headed to "his beloved Bouillac" in the nation's south — where he had friends and family — before his life was tragically cut short on June 7. According to family, Tony died after a tree branch fell on him and five others at the Rock&Cars music festival in Lavaur, with local police now investigating the incident.

Tony, 54, was dedicated to his craft and to his "soul mate" Hayley Wright, whom he had been with for over 15 years. Hayley's sister Joanne Allen told Yahoo News Australia her sibling's now been forced to live out "her own worst nightmare — facing life without Tony".

She described the 54-year-old as "fit, healthy, happy and had everything going for him" before his untimely death.

"Foremost, he was the love of Hayley’s life," Joanne told Yahoo News Australia. "They fit together like puzzle pieces with a shared love of all things dogs, and they respected one another and dreamt big."

"He was charismatic, funny, passionate and so very loved by Hayley," she said.

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Tony "helped people all over the world with his dog classes" both in person, online, on radio and TV. "He was very well respected and admired. His method worked and he loved helping people with their dogs," Joanne said.

"He was so passionate about teaching humans how to interact with their dogs. He studied wolf packs in Yellowstone Park with his mum to see how they behaved in their natural environment and how the pack worked. He wanted to forward that to people."

"Comedy was his next love, he did a lot for free as it’s a difficult medium. He helped other young comedians tune their set. He was a jokester always — he’d probably make a job about all this infamy in the media now he’s gone."

While authorities investigate the circumstances in which Tony died, Hayley is preparing to spread his ashes in his "beloved France", Joanne said.

"He was simply our Tony and the future without him will take time to come to terms with."

A fundraising campaign has been established to support Hayley and her family in meeting the costs of Tony’s funeral and incurred medical bills.

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