'Our whole world has caved in': 10-year-old boy's sudden death after complaining of chest pains

The sudden death of a 10-year-old boy has devastated his UK hometown, with the schoolboy dying just hours after complaining of chest pains.

The tragedy was a second blow for Jak Fada's family, coming only hours after the schoolboy’s grandad James Tomlin also died.

Initially his family thought the soccer-mad little boy’s pain may have been a sign of Jak's grief for his granddad.

Jak was taken to hospital, in his suburb of Westoe, South Shields, on November 6, but died after suffering a ruptured artery, the Newcastle Chronicle reported.

“In 22 hours, everything has been taken away from us. Our whole world has just caved in,” the youngster’s mum Ashley Tomlin said.

“This was a total shock and out of the blue.”

At just three months, Jak was diagnosed with a hole in his heart and underwent surgery, followed by regular hospital check-ups until he turned five.

Ms Tomlin, 32, said her little boy had a "smile that lit up every room" and coming to terms with Jak dying so young and suddenly felt as if her "whole world has just caved in".

In her grief, she described Jak as having “the biggest heart” and said he gave her the best 10 years of her life.

Football team South Shields FC held a minute’s silence ahead of their match on Saturday to honour their young superfan.

Ms Tomlin said the sudden loss has rocked the town, including Jak’s schoolmates and teammates.

“The school is literally heartbroken, they’ve had counsellors in and the boys don’t want to play football,” she told the Chronicle.