Harry Morton’s family is mourning the loss of their loved one.
The restaurateur’s younger brother, Matthew Morton, has broken his silence about Harry’s death — which occurred over the weekend after he suffered a heart attack at age 38.
“On Saturday I lost my big brother,” he wrote on Instagram Wednesday. “Harry is that rare person who means so much to so many people in so many different ways, but to no one, could he be more meaningful than he has been to his little brother.”
“I lost my best friend in the entire world, my second father, I lost the person that taught me everything growing up, the person that looked out for me, guided me, showed me the way,” Matthew added. “Pretty much everything that’s good inside me comes from a lesson I learned along the way from Harry. He paved the way for me to become the person I am today. I could never have asked for a better teacher or a better friend.”
The co-founder of Cha Cha Matcha recalled the last words that he said to his brother, just hours before Harry reportedly suffered from sudden cardiac arrest.
“It’s really weird, I had dinner with him on Friday night, and spoke to him on the phone Saturday morning, the last thing I said to him was ‘love you frere’ and I am eternally grateful that I got to spend so much time with him,” he said.
Matthew went on to encourage his followers to reach out to their own siblings, as well as urge other men to check up on their heart health.
Harry Morton, Peter Morton and Matthew Morton.Donato Sardella/WireImage
“If you’re lucky enough to have a brother or a sister, please give them a big squeeze, and tell them how much you love them,” he wrote. “My brother passed away from sudden cardiac death, if you’re a young man, I urge you to go and get a heart scan.”
“SCD is the single largest cause of natural death in the United States, it takes the lives of 325,000 people a year, and it is twice as common in men as it is in women,” he added, saying that the family planned to set up a foundation for heart disease in honor of Harry.
“I love you more than anything in the world frere,” Matthew concluded, sharing a series of photos of the brothers through the years.
Billy Farrell/Getty Images
A source previously told PEOPLE that Matthew was the onewho found the business ownerunresponsive in his Beverly Hills home on Saturday.
Harry had suffered from a coronary artery disease — which is a narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries — and a “mildly enlarged heart,” his family spokesperson said in astatementto multiple outlets on Tuesday.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office previously told PEOPLE that though an autopsy was completed on Monday, Harry’s cause of death had officially been deferred pending additional investigation. They have still yet to confirm his official cause of death.
Harry was best known for founding the trendy Mexican restaurant chain, Pink Taco. The company — which haslocations across the country, including in Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Las Vegas — issued a statement about Harry’s death shortly after the news broke.
source: people.com
