Maurice Kaye, the 106-year-old who had been married for 84 years in what is believed to Britain's longest marriage, has died.
Tina Son, the daughter of Maurice and his wife Helen, said Mr Kaye died in hospital on Monday.
“My mum feels as though she has lost a limb,” Ms Son said of her 105-year-old mother. “She is just very sad and quiet as you would imagine. We will remember dad for his sense of humour and his amazing hugs."
His son Larry Kaye said: "It is at times such as this the response from so many has shown how popular and indeed loved he was.
"One friend said 'you can have a short life which can be crammed full, or a long life which is empty but to have a long life crammed full is unusual,' but not for Maurice Kaye."
His eldest grandson Eliot Kaye described him as "an extraordinary man who lived an extraordinary life, not just his remarkable longevity, but a rollercoaster of triumphs and tragedies.
"He was real thinker and a true feeler. He had firm beliefs in right and wrong, in his faith, his God and his people. He was a true life force and that makes his passing, even at such a great age, so sad."
Ms Son said her dad's "hugs were so tight that you thought you would split in two. He adored his family, his children, his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
“Family was the most important thing to him.”
Mr and Mrs Kaye celebrated their 83rd wedding anniversary surrounded by their family at home in Bournemouth last year.
In an interview with the JC at the time, Mr Kaye looked back on the eight decades he spent with his wife.
He said: “So much has changed but we still have each other, thank God.”
Their remarkable marriage was described as a “long haul” by Mrs Kaye, who met her husband when he was a travelling salesman for his father’s clothing business.
When they married in 1934 in south London, the idea of one day keeping up to date with their children, seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren using iPads and video chats would have been unimaginable.
The couple moved from London to Bournemouth to escape the bombing during the Second World War.
Ms Son said her parents were an “inspiration to everyone who knows them and we count ourselves truly blessed.”
Mr Kaye celebrated his 106th birthday in June and attended his youngest grandson, Avi Son's wedding five weeks ago.
Ms Son said: “It was a real blessing that he and mum were able to attend Avi's wedding he was surrounded by all his family."
