Mural painted for 'murdered' Glasgow ex-football starlet

Artist Tef has sprayed the memorial to Josh near his hometown, where flowers have been laid next to the 28-year-old's portrait.
The homage to the ex-footie starlet shows him smiling over a red background in a poignant tribute.
Josh's body was discovered at a property in Glasgow's Caldwell Avenue on Monday, May 5 after cops were alerted to a report of a concern for a person.
Mural painted for 'murdered' Glasgow ex-football starlet (Image: Colin Mearns)
READ MORE: Tributes paid to Josh Taplin after Glasgow murder
A GoFundMe page, created by his friend Stephen Kelly, was set up after the news of his death to help support Josh's family with funeral costs.

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Scottish Sun

7 hours ago

• Scottish Sun

Family pay touching tribute to ‘beautiful soul' son, 20, who died after getting into difficulty while swimming

Friends have also praised the 'lovely' and 'caring young lad' for having a 'heart of gold' RIVER TRAGEDY Family pay touching tribute to 'beautiful soul' son, 20, who died after getting into difficulty while swimming Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE family of a boy who died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a river have paid tribute to their "beautiful soul" son. Jacob Rutkowski, 20, from Darlington, County Durham, is understood to have began to struggle after entering the River Tees in Gainford on Friday afternoon. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Tributes have poured in for Jacob Rutkowski, 20, following his death Credit: North News and Pictures 2 The young man died after getting into difficulty in the River Tees at Gainford on Friday afternoon Credit: Alamy Despite a huge emergency response to try to rescue the young man - including the deployment of an air ambulance, mountain rescue crews, police helicopter, paramedics and fire crews - he tragically died. Now, Jacob's family has released a touching tribute as part of a fundraiser to help support the family. The GoFundMe page reads: "As many of you have already heard, our family experienced the unimaginable. "This devastating loss has left our entire family heartbroken beyond words. "He was a son, a brother, a loving boyfriend — and above all, a beautiful soul taken far too soon." The family explained they were raising funds to help with funeral and memorial costs, as well as to support the family "during this painful time". They added: "Anything you can give will help ease the burden and allow us to focus on grieving and honouring his memory. "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts." At time of writing, Jacob's GoFundMe has already raised more than £1,650, helping it towards its goal of £4,500. At around 2.30pm on Friday, emergency crews had rushed to the small rural village of Gainford at around to try to save Jacob. A British 45-year-old woman drowns at a Lanzarote beach Police cordoned off an area where ambulance incident response teams and the fire service water unit parked up - both blocking access to the river banks. Drones were also seen flying above the river while dogs patrolled the ground to help rescue Jacob. Tragically, however, Durham Police eventually confirmed it had found a body in the river. In a statement on Friday, cops said: "We're sorry to report that a body has been found in the river at Gainford this evening. "It is believed a 20-year-old man had entered the water this afternoon and got into difficulty. "Formal identification has yet to take place but the man's family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers. "We would like to thank all our emergency services partners for their assistance." 'I JUST CAN'T GET OVER IT' Other tributes to Jacob have also poured in, describing the 20-year-old as having a "heart of gold". One friend wrote: "Such a caring young lad honestly, sending my love and thoughts to the family. "I just can't get over it, he was so lovely. Breaks my heart, forever 20." Another said: "Absolutely heartbroken for my friend and her family. Life is just so precious." A third wrote: "What a lad. He was taken way to soon."

The Sun

7 hours ago

• The Sun

Family pay touching tribute to ‘beautiful soul' son, 20, who died after getting into difficulty while swimming

THE family of a boy who died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a river have paid tribute to their "beautiful soul" son. Jacob Rutkowski, 20, from Darlington, County Durham, is understood to have began to struggle after entering the River Tees in Gainford on Friday afternoon. 2 2 Despite a huge emergency response to try to rescue the young man - including the deployment of an air ambulance, mountain rescue crews, police helicopter, paramedics and fire crews - he tragically died. Now, Jacob's family has released a touching tribute as part of a fundraiser to help support the family. The GoFundMe page reads: "As many of you have already heard, our family experienced the unimaginable. "This devastating loss has left our entire family heartbroken beyond words. "He was a son, a brother, a loving boyfriend — and above all, a beautiful soul taken far too soon." The family explained they were raising funds to help with funeral and memorial costs, as well as to support the family "during this painful time". They added: "Anything you can give will help ease the burden and allow us to focus on grieving and honouring his memory. "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts." At time of writing, Jacob's GoFundMe has already raised more than £1,650, helping it towards its goal of £4,500. At around 2.30pm on Friday, emergency crews had rushed to the small rural village of Gainford at around to try to save Jacob. Police cordoned off an area where ambulance incident response teams and the fire service water unit parked up - both blocking access to the river banks. Drones were also seen flying above the river while dogs patrolled the ground to help rescue Jacob. Tragically, however, Durham Police eventually confirmed it had found a body in the river. In a statement on Friday, cops said: "We're sorry to report that a body has been found in the river at Gainford this evening. "It is believed a 20-year-old man had entered the water this afternoon and got into difficulty. "Formal identification has yet to take place but the man's family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers. "We would like to thank all our emergency services partners for their assistance." 'I JUST CAN'T GET OVER IT' Other tributes to Jacob have also poured in, describing the 20-year-old as having a "heart of gold". One friend wrote: "Such a caring young lad honestly, sending my love and thoughts to the family. "I just can't get over it, he was so lovely. Breaks my heart, forever 20." Another said: "Absolutely heartbroken for my friend and her family. Life is just so precious." A third wrote: "What a lad. He was taken way to soon."

Daily Mail​

9 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

'Heartbroken' family pays tribute to 'beautiful soul' of man, 20, who was found dead in village river

A 'heartbroken' family have paid tribute to their 20-year-old son who was found dead in their village river. Jacob Rutkowski, who has been described as a 'beautiful soul' by his grieving family died after getting into difficulty in the river Tees in County Durham. It is understood that Jacob from Darlington, County Durham, entered the water in Gainford on Friday and began to struggle, sparking a huge emergency response. The air ambulance, mountain rescue crews, police helicopter, paramedics and fire crews all rushed to the rural village at about 2.30pm in a bid to rescue him. Drones and rescue dogs were also used in the search. Tragically, Durham Police later confirmed that they had found a body in the river. Jacob's family have paid tribute to his life and have launched a GoFundMe page in a bid to raise funds for his funeral. The page reads: 'As many of you have already heard, our family experienced the unimaginable. It is understood that Jacob from Darlington, County Durham, entered the water in Gainford on Friday and began to struggle, sparking a huge emergency response 'This devastating loss has left our entire family heartbroken beyond words. He was a son, a brother, a loving boyfriend — and above all, a beautiful soul taken far too soon. 'We are raising funds to help with funeral and memorial costs, and to support the family during this painful time. 'Anything you can give will help ease the burden and allow us to focus on grieving and honouring his memory. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.' Tributes and messages for Jacob have also been posted online and have described him as having a 'heart of gold'. One friend wrote: 'Such a caring young lad honestly, sending my love and thoughts to the family. 'I just can't get over it, he was so lovely. Breaks my heart, forever 20.' Another said: 'Absolutely heartbroken for my friend and her family. Life is just so precious.'