A new dad who had separated from his partner hanged himself just five days after the birth of his twin daughters because of money worries.
Hairdresser Simon Pritchard, 35, of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, was found dead at his home by his mum and two friends last May.
An inquest into his death heard that the stress of providing for his baby daughters drove him to kill himself.
Friends said Mr Pritchard had been working 'around the clock' after the children were born, having set up his own salon, Love, just six months prior to his death.
Paul Lewis, who had been a friend of Mr Pritchard for 20 years, and who found his body, told the court he had been worried about him.
"I was concerned there were issues with his girlfriend at the time putting pressure on him for child maintenance money," Mr Lewis said. "In a conversation we had about a year before, he said he was having a tough time. He said he considered doing it [suicide] but the thought of his mum stopped him."
The inquest heard that Mr Pritchard and his partner had experienced problems in their relationship since 2011.
Birmingham deputy coroner Sarah Ormond-Walshe said the case was 'phenomenally tragic'.
Recording a suicide verdict, she told the hearing: "His friends and family are clearly very loving and he had a wide circle of friends who were worried about him. There really are no words to express how sad this case is."