Funeral of young Morecambe mum who died in her sleep to take place today

Zian Lezlee Middleton, 21, died in her sleep, leaving a two-month-old baby boy Riley-James and partner Kyle Atkinson.

The funeral procession will set off from Bazil Close in Morecambe at 2pm, and a horse and carriage will take Ziggy on her final journey to Lancaster & Morecambe Crematorium for a service.

A family wake will then be held at the Cumberland View in Heysham Road.

Zian – known as Ziggy – was born at home in Westgate and went to Morecambe High School. She has three older brothers – Ian and Lewis, who both live in Morecambe, and Daniel, who lives in Keighley.

Shortly before giving birth to Riley-James, Ziggy and Kyle had moved to Burnley to be close to Ziggy’s mum Fran, who was going to help with the couple’s new baby.

And it was in Burnley that Ziggy passed away suddenly in her sleep on May 25, just two months after giving birth to Riley-James.

Tracey Gradwell, Ziggy’s auntie, said: “She went to bed because she wasn’t feeling well and she just didn’t wake up.”

It had initially been thought that Ziggy may have opassed away due to complications arising from being diabetic, but a post-mortem revealed she had suffered a condition similar to cot death, known as sudden adult death syndrome.

“She was loved by so many people,” Tracey said. “She was fun loving, she always had a smile and she always made us laugh. The family is distraught. We still can’t come to terms with what’s happened, or understand why. We are all in shock.”