WORCESTERSHIRE'S poet laureate has given her heartfelt tribute to "an exceptionally brilliant man" who died tragically this week.

Dr Charlotte Barnes paid tribute to her friend and fellow poet Kieran Davis, whose body was found in a Malvern hotel on Tuesday morning.

She said: "He had a kind word for anyone who needed it, and a dad-joke for anyone who would listen.

“His poetry is poignant, personal and unashamedly honest in terms of the topics he was brave enough to contend with and that, alongside so many other reasons, made him a valued member of the Worcestershire writing community.

“We have suffered a loss on both professional and personal levels with this news, and the world will be a worse off place without Kieran’s silly and sensible poems alike. But he leaves behind a wonderful family, much-loved words and the most stunning array of Hawaiian shirts I ever did see, and that will be his legacy.”

READ MORE: Brother of missing man Kieran Davis says he has died

Kieran Davis was reported missing from Worcester on Monday by his Damien, who then announced on Tuesday morning that he had died. On Facebook, Damien wrote: "It is with great sadness that my brother Kieran Davis has passed away today.

“Further updates will come in due course, but please respect our family’s privacy at this time. Thanks to everyone for all your love and support x”

Kieran would have celebrated his 41st birthday tomorrow (February 7) and he leaves behind his wife Sian and four children. He was involved in writing poetry for more than 20 years, and celebrated the launch of his debut book of poems, Lacuna, in 2016. In the same year he celebrated his 10th wedding anniversary and his 10th year sober.

He was a member of Worcester Writing Circle and, speaking at the time, said: “Joining the Worcester Writers Circle is the best thing that has ever happened to me. It is a supportive and loving group which was the perfect place to hone my craft, I can never express how grateful I am to them.”

Police confirmed on Tuesday that a body had been found at a hotel in Malvern, though they did not say which hotel it was. They also said they were not treating the death as suspicious.

A West Mercia Police spokesman said: “Following a call for concerns for safety yesterday at 6.22pm, sadly a man’s body has been found at 9.26am today at a hotel in Malvern, this is not thought to be suspicious.”