A young Canterbury bookseller collapsed the day after his wife died, and never recovered.

Giles Corby was 34 when he died on Thursday, October 3, just weeks after losing his wife Helen.

She died in early September, a few days before the couple were due to celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary.

It is believed Mr Corby died at Kent and Canterbury Hospital after suffering kidney failure.

The couple met at Waterstones in St Margaret’s Street, where they both worked, and made a home together in St Peter’s Grove.

This week, store manager Martin Latham said Mr Corby’s death had triggered a “wave of affection” for the “quiet, kind individual”.

Mr Corby’s funeral took place in the crypt at Canterbury Cathedral, where he was a regular worshipper.

He was then laid to rest in the village of Chiddingstone in west Kent, where he spent most of his teenage years.

He leaves behind parents Andrew and Daphne, brother Tim and sister Rosalind.

Paying tribute to his brother, Tim Corby said: “A long-standing member of the Canterbury community, he developed friendships with a variety of people from all walks of life in the city.

“His inquisitive nature and uncanny ability to retain information and reproduce it meant he always had a story to share.

“Whether with a witty off-the-cuff one-liner or a tale carefully woven together to reach a punch-line with perfect timing, Giles would always leave his audience laughing.

“He will be greatly missed by his family and friends but leaves behind many wonderful memories and will always be able to bring smiles to the faces of those who knew him.”

Mr Corby moved to Canterbury at 18 to study theology and religious studies at the University of Kent, before starting his 10-year career at Waterstones.

While there, he earned a reputation as a “legendary bookseller” with extensive knowledge of history and spiritual matters.

Tim continued: “A keen reader with a passion for books from an early age, the job suited him perfectly. His breadth of knowledge and sense of humour gifted him the ability to engage with people on a wide variety of subjects and contexts and he was well liked by both staff and customers.

“As well as books, he had a great love of both music and films. He was equally at home at a Proms concert as he was at a local rock gig and he was always able to quote song lyrics and obscure lines from the silver screen.”

“He will be greatly missed by his family and friends but leaves behind many wonderful memories and will always be able to bring smiles to the faces of those who knew him” - Giles's brother Tim

Store manager Mr Latham added: “He always – without ignoring other customers – had time to chat amusingly and discursively around the very widest range of subjects.

“Many people, including Cathedral luminaries from Rowan Williams down, chatted at length to him and found their stress levels reduced.

“He ran hundreds of author talks with their exhaustions and exhilarations. The audience for these totalled thousands.

“Authors such as Melvyn Bragg were relieved to repeat-visit the shop when they learned he was still here.

“He was a classic case of the quiet, kind individual, not famous or rich, who made a big difference to our quality of life.”