When the police called Denise Chibueze to identify the body of her husband, Marsa FC footballer Basil Chibueze, it was a repeat of the day she lost her first husband – his brother – in similar circumstances.
Basil Chibueze, a Nigerian, passed away on Monday while jogging. His Maltese wife is still reeling from the shock of her second husband’s sudden death but she speaks of him lovingly, calling him an exemplary partner and father.
Her first husband, Ikechukwu Chibueze, was also a footballer, playing for Mqabba.
He brought Basil over to Malta but died suddenly aged 23 just six months later in 2007. Then, as now, heart failure was the cause, even though both brothers were extremely fit and healthy.
Denise and Basil married in 2008. Their three-year-old son, Ike, is named after her first husband.
“Basil helped me get over Ike but it is not going to be easy now. My son constantly reminds me of his father,” she said.