Queensland Origin star AJ Brimson has revealed the final moments before a promising NRL player crashed dead in a Spanish nightclub.
Liam Hampson, 24, was found dead on October 19 at the Sala Apolo nightclub in Barcelona after falling 14 meters from a wall in a restricted area.
His untimely death came before Hampson could fulfill his lifelong dream of playing professional rugby league for the Dolphins.
He will be mourned Monday at a funeral service at the Moreton Daily Stadium on the Redcliffe Peninsula, Queensland.
Brimson joined the hundreds of heartbroken family and friends who paid tribute to the auspicious star, describing him as a “brother” and one of his “best friends.”
He recalled the last moments he shared with Hampson after joining the 24-year-old on his whirlwind European vacation and partied with him the night he died.
Queensland Origin star AJ Brimson (left) has paid tribute to promising NRL player Liam Hampson (right), sharing his final moments before being found dead in a Spanish nightclub
Liam Hampson, 24, was found dead on October 19 at the Sala Apolo nightclub in Barcelona after falling more than 10 meters from a wall in a restricted area.
“He was a legend, the funniest guy ever,” Brimson said courier post.
“I’ve messaged him so many times… that was the most heartbreaking thing.
‘We can never do or share those things together again. He was determined with his footy but also a happy guy.’
Brimson first met Hampson on the Gold Coast in 2012 before becoming close friends at Keebra Park High School rugby league nursery.
The pair briefly broke up when Brimson stayed in Queensland to pursue a career with the Titans, while Hampson went to New Zealand to play for the Warriors.
Hampson returned six months later, unable to settle abroad and rented a house in 2017 with Brimson and Titans player Phil Sami.
He never gave up on his dreams as he pursued a place in reserve class club Tweed Heads before moving to Redcliffe and starring as the whore for the Dolphins.
His prowess on the pitch impressed supercoach Wayne Bennett, with Brimson admitting he believed Hampson would have played in preparation for the team.
“Wayne Bennett told him after a few games that he had played a good game, which was very promising,” he said.
Brimson recalled the last moments he shared with Hampson after joining the 24-year-old on his whirlwind European vacation and partied with him the night he died
The friends went to Sala Apolo concert hall and nightclub before the group broke up and Brimson went back to his accommodation and slept
Brimson and his brothers accompanied Hampson on a vacation to Europe that would end in a nightmare from hell.
Brimson and his brothers first partied in Ibiza before meeting Hampson in Germany for Oktoberfest and traveling through Amsterdam, Switzerland and France.
The group arrived in Spain and Hampson would split up to continue traveling solo before having one last night out with his friends.
The friends went to Sala Apolo concert hall and nightclub before the group broke up and Brimson went back to his accommodation and slept.
He woke up the next morning to find Hampson missing, but assumed he had been living with a woman and wasn’t concerned until he hadn’t heard from his friend by midday.
Brimson went to the police and returned to the nightclub as he searched for Hampson.
Earlier this week, the Calatolonia High Court approved the release of Hampson’s body to Australia so that his family could take him home after Spanish authorities completed their autopsy process.
Hampson dreamed of playing professional rugby league before dying in a Spanish nightclub
CCTV footage from the club showed Hampson being separated from his friends during the night out and then locked out on a terrace after going through two emergency exits that only opened one way.
He then plunged 14 meters to his death on an internal patio while trying to jump over an adjacent wall.
Earlier this week, the Calatolonia High Court approved the release of Hampson’s body to Australia so that his family could take him home after Spanish authorities completed their autopsy process.
A funeral invitation his mother and father posted online asked those in attendance to dress as his son would, in ‘s**t-shirts and birks’, as part of a service that will be a ‘celebration of life’ .
“As Liam would have liked, we ask those in attendance to come dressed in, as Liam would say, ‘S**t Shirts and Birks’ or casual comfortable attire,” the invitation read.
“We thank everyone for their support and for those who reached out to honor Liam’s memory as a community, as a team and as a family.