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Liverpool entrepreneur Rob Williams falls to his death on holiday


A LIVERPOOL music entrepreneur has fallen 60ft to his death on a snowboarding holiday in Switzerland.

Rescue teams found 29-year-old Rob Williams’ body late on Monday night in the resort of Verbier, seven hours after he went missing.

Mr Williams and Jason Tavaria, who together owned Liverpool-based Dolphin Music - a music equipment business - were on holiday with a group of internet entrepreneurs.

The pair reportedly became separated from the rest of their party in "terrible" weather conditions and got lost in a forest.

A rescue mission was launched when Apprentice winner Michelle Dewberry, who was on holiday with the pair, posted a message on Twitter saying: "2 of our ski party been missing since 4pm. Conditions terrible. 1 guy found but trapped. 20-man team searching for other."

The drama unfolded on Twitter as fellow entrepreneur Alex Hoye updated the site with a series of messages on Monday night.

One read: "Jason now down the mountain - rescue teams still looking for Rob".

Mr Tavaria was found safe, but Mr Williams’ body was discovered by search teams at the bottom of a steep cliff.

Yesterday, Mike Butcher - another member of the party - posted a message on Twitter saying: "I just got off the phone to one member of the trip. They said: ‘Everyone literally said they’d just had the best time on the trip. And then it went straight to the opposite. We are all in shock’.

"I never knew Rob, but on behalf of myself and TechCrunch [his employer], we’d like to pass on our deepest sympathies to his family."

Mr Williams and Mr Tavaria, both originally from St Albans, had known each other since they were 10.

They set up Dolphin Music in 1999 while they were both students at the University of Liverpool.

The firm opened its first shop in Liverpool’s Ranelagh Street in May 2006 and now has two more in Huddersfield and Gateshead. Their website sells music equipment.

The company achieved sales in excess of £9.2m in 2007 and employs 35 people in Merseyside.

Dolphin Music was a runner-up in the Liverpool Echo’s 2008 Kickstart awards.

In 2006, Mr Williams said when he and Mr Tavaria moved to Liverpool, they "loved it so much we set up a £6m business here".

THE DAILY POST

the shop was closed today as a mark of respect! rob was a top man! helped us out at x mas with our charity raffle!