Tributes have been paid to a former Irish Lotto winner, Shawn Keeley, who passed away suddenly in the Philippines.

Keeley, who was in his 30s, died suddenly on Saturday.

His life changed when he landed £1m (€1.1m) when he bought a scratch card back in 2020.

The then manager of Eurospar in Dungiven, Co. Derry, bought the winning ‘£50M Mega Cash Showdown’ Scratchcard from McNicholl’s Eurospar in Dungiven.

Friends and family have been posting tributes online since the sad news broke.

‘I can’t believe he’s gone,’ said one shocked friend.

‘Shawn was a man who could light up any room as soon as he walked into it. My thoughts and prayers are with his family,’ the friend added.

A former work colleague said: ‘Was heartbroken to hear this sad news about Shawn. I had the pleasure of working with you in eurospar and many a laugh we had. Rest in peace and condolences to all the family.’

A third person said: ‘Heartbreaking news to hear about Shaun, he was the life and soul of many a night out and had a heart of gold too. RIP Shaun. Thoughts and prayers with all your family at this sad time.’