Caitlyn Whitley, 19, woke on 11 June 2026, following her first night camping at the heavy metal music festival, in a tent pitched alongside her father, Paul John Whitley, 50. She initially assumed he was having a lie-in, but when he had still not stirred by 10:30am, she decided to enter his tent to rouse him.
Instead, she discovered him motionless on the ground and, in desperation, rang her mother for assistance. Her mother, Emmilou Firshman, 49, and stepfather Scott rushed to the scene and helped pull Paul free from the tent.
Cause of Death Unknown
The cause of Paul's death remains unknown, though a spokesperson for Leicestershire Police confirmed they are not treating it as suspicious. Caitlyn, from Sittingbourne, Kent, said: 'I woke up around 9am and stayed in bed for about half an hour and shouted good morning to my dad in the tent next door, but there was no answer.'
'I went and tried to wake him at about 10.30am, but he was not lying down; he was at the front of the tent on his knees, it was like he was trying to crawl out of the tent.'
'I was trying to wake him up, but he was cold and not moving, so I called for mum to help. My dad was well built; he had a proper dad bod, so I couldn't move him.'
Family's Heartbreak
Emmilou described the moment she went into the tent and found his lifeless body. Emmilou said: 'I could see that he was in a weird position. I wiggled him, and he wasn't moving at all.'
'I put my hand on his back, and he was freezing, and I knew something really bad was happening, so I ran to go and get somebody. Thankfully, one of the volunteers was a nurse and heard we needed help, so instantly came running on instinct.'
'Caitlyn was hysterical. I could see her heart break in front of me; she was screaming and hyperventilating.'
Festival Response
Shortly afterwards, an ambulance and police arrived on the scene, with a large black gazebo erected to shield the family from public view. The coroner informed Caitlyn that Paul's official cause of death could take up to 15 weeks to be confirmed, though she is adamant it was not drug-related.
Caitlyn, who is training to become a car mechanic, said: 'My dad doesn't drink, he sipped my cider, he had a coffee and a cigarette before bed and fell asleep.'
'It was the first night camping, so we had an early night after a long day of driving to get there. I picked him up, and we drove together. He was laughing and joking the whole time.'
'It was dad's first time camping; he only ever went to one-day local festivals, so he was so excited beforehand. He was a massive metal fan, most excited to see Limp Bizkit and Hollywood Undead at Download.'
Father's Care Role
Paul, a galvaniser from Sittingbourne, Kent, was also the sole carer for his mum, who had a stroke and now requires support from the local authority. Caitlyn said: 'He was a proper dad joker, always telling silly dad jokes.'
'I had him wrapped around my finger; he would do anything for me without hesitation.'
Emmilou and Paul separated more than ten years ago but have remained close friends and continue to co-parent Caitlyn. Emmilou told Talk to the Press: 'He was my ex-husband, but we still had a really good relationship and it was all for Caitlyn because she is amazing and is the centre of everything.'
'We've got tickets for so many other gigs and events that he now cannot go to see.'
GoFundMe Campaign
Both Caitlyn and Emmilou commended Download Festival's handling of the situation. Emmilou said: 'There was a man called James Dean, who was in charge of the TLC team at Download, he was truly amazing. He looked after us and gave us everything we needed before I even knew what I needed.'
The family have launched a GoFundMe page to help Caitlyn cover the cost of the funeral. To donate to the GoFundMe, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/paul-john-whitley.
