Dad Mysteriously Dies While Taking After-Work Nap

A 36-year-old father in Australia died in his sleep last week despite having no known illness, his family said.

Daniel Perkins, of Shellharbour in New South Wales, took a nap after arriving home from a night shift on the morning of Dec. 8, 7News.com.au reported.

The father of two planned to pick up his twin boys from school later that afternoon, but he never woke up and died in his sleep, according to the Australian outlet. His cause of death has not yet been determined.

Perkins had no sign of illness prior to his death, his brother-in-law Shane Andersen said.

Perkins' wife Nikki and the couple's 8-year-old boys Logan and Jordi are now going through "the unthinkable," according to Andersen, who is Nikki’s brother.

Perkins was a father "who would do anything for his boys and Nikki,” Andersen said.

"Dan worked the night shift to ensure he got to spend the most amount of time with his boys while providing for [his] family," the brother-in-law explained.

Perkins and Nikki were high school sweethearts who had spent 21 years together.

Andersen also described Perkins as "the most genuine and caring bloke" who "would have a chat with anyone and give anyone the time of day."

"Nikki would often wonder why [Daniel] was taking so long, and it’s because he was chatting to the man at the bakery, or the coffee shop, and would always have a chat with the teachers when picking the boys up from school," Andersen recalled.

A GoFundMe page, which was organized by Andersen following Perkins' death to support the latter's family, has raised a little over AU$42,000 ($29,850) of its AU$45,000 ($31,980) goal as of writing.

Andersen thanked the people who sent messages and flowers, dropped off food or donated to the GoFundMe page as it has "during this horrible time... provided comfort and eased the burdens we are facing."

He added that "while this won't bring [Daniel] back, it will provide time for Nikki and the boys to grieve and add some security to their future."

Additionally, Andersen said that the response and support by the community was a result of Perkins being "a great, friendly guy who would literally give you the shirt off his back."

The family is now urging people who may be feeling even slightly unwell to get a health check at a hospital.