Appeal to fly After Death rock guitarist Leon Vilalba's body home from Brazil after tragic drowning

Published: 28 January 2010
by PETER GRUNER

THE mother of a Camden rock guitarist who drowned with a bandmate in Brazil  spoke of her devastation this week.
Lucretia Vilalba, whose son Leon, 21, died with bandmate Timothy Kennelly, 18, from Ealing, was preparing to fly back to the Philippines to receive the young man’s body after it was washed up on a beach in Brazil last week.
Ms Vilalba, a single mother who works as a cleaner, described Leon as the best son a mother could have. “He was very kind and caring and I shall miss him terribly,” she said.
But now she needs to raise £10,000 to fly Leon’s body from Brazil to the Philippines where he will be buried in a family plot.
“Neither officials  in Brazil nor the Philippines want to help me financially,” she added. “I’m having to borrow money and my employer has made a contribution. One or two people I know are organising events to help me out.”
Leon, who was born in the UK, attended St Aloysius’ primary school in Somers Town, before going on to St Aloysius’ College in Highgate. He then attended sixth form at La Swap in Highgate before embarking on a year’s art foundation course at London Metropolitan University. 
Leon and Tim were on a six-week tour with heavy metal band After Death, as a support at for US group Master.