Self-made entrepreneur Desmond Vella, known for his business acumen and creativity, died yesterday, a day before his 35th birthday, after suffering a brain haemorrhage and falling into a coma while on holiday with his family in Cyprus. The haemorrhage occurred on Saturday night and Sunday and there was no turning back.

Mr Vella, the man behind the popular retail outlet Miss Sixty, which continued to change the face of the local fashion scene, and also a name in the events, music and entertainment industry, left behind a wife and a four-year-old son.

He is associated with the environment-friendly event Earth Garden and the Tribù Music Festival, which used to be held annually and of which he was the initiator.

Mr Vella also owned the stylish Valletta bar and eatery, 2 22, which was designed in keeping with his cutting-edge objectives and aimed to be a space where music, food, art and fashion converged.

Always up to something new, Mr Vella, in the prime of his life, had business running through his blood. In a recent newspaper interview, he said he was planning to invest in four new stores over the next five years. This was the way he intended to "attack the market" in a time of recession - a tactic that was an example of his trademark approach.

Mr Vella was planning to take on a new direction and use his reserves. He had said he was working "double" to fight the economic situation.

The self-made entrepreneur, ever full of energy, was 20 when he ventured into the industry. His Exit and Shu outlets, selling a variety of big labels, were among the innovative fashion concepts he developed, the former fusing music and fashion together and growing into a brand.

Yesterday, some of his glamorous staff, always flying the flag of style, were in tears while trying to continue offering a service with a smile. The shops had a black sash on the windows by the end of the day.

One salesgirl said she had just had a meeting with Mr Vella last week to organise an Exit party and the plans were still fresh in her head. Whether they would materialise was now a question mark.

One of the managers, trying to hold the fort in the absence of Mr Vella's hands-on approach to his business, said she would do her utmost to keep the brands alive as that is what he would have wanted.

"He was not feeling too well recently, complaining of headaches and feeling tired. I have been working with him every day for seven years - I don't know what hit me," she said, while serving a customer the way Mr Vella would have wanted.

One of Mr Vella's business partners, Daniel Abela, described him as "full of life", lamenting that "the good die young".

Fr Ray Francalanza, the priest who married him and a family friend, said it was "difficult to describe in words... Desmond was a beautiful soul. He was transparent and remained humble even though he grew in his work".

He added: "Even if he did not show it on the outside, he was a spiritual person and would come here (the Millennium chapel) to talk..."

Messages flooded into timesofmalta.com while Mr Vella was thought to be still in a critical condition and on a life support machine during the morning. They appealed for prayers to keep him alive, still hoping for his recovery, while others queried his state of health. The online article was the most read and the most e-mailed, while a Facebook group, RIP Desmond, attracted over 1,000 members - and rising - by the end of the day, highlighting his popularity. Many also mentioned the opportunities he had offered them.

Among the tributes was that of Birkirkara FC and Birkirkara FC youth nursery, which said Mr Vella was a player with his hometown club throughout his youth, "always happy and cheerful and so full of confidence".

The Nationalist Party youth movement expressed its condolences, praising him for his constant gush of innovative ideas and offering solidarity to his family.