Those who knew Nick Alexander, the Eagles of Death Metal crew member slain in Friday night's coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris, are painting a fuller portrait of his life.

Alexander, 36, was at work at the merchandise table for Eagles of Death Metal when gunmen stormed the Bataclan in the French capital. A resident of Colchester in Essex, England, he had held similar positions on tours with Alice in Chains, the Black Keys, Sum 41 and others.

"I spent a lot of time with Nick, but the thing about the touring merch job, it’s one of the more thankless jobs," the Black Keys' Patrick Carney told Rolling Stone. "You do it because you just want to travel and you're interested in meeting new people, and it's really hard work. It's not the job you take if you’re into partying. So, he was a really organized, super-hard worker, really funny. I remember him always very content with being on tour. It was what seems to make him the happiest. After shows, when everyone would go wild or whatever, he would also be really reserved. He was just a sweetheart, that guy."

Alice in Chains and Joe Trohman, guitarist with Fall Out Boy, are among those who have shared tributes to Nick Alexander, as well.

Alexander was shot in front of his friend Helen Wilson, an American. The 49-year-old, who was taken to Paris' Saint-Antoine Hospital after being shot in both legs, told The Telegraph she tried to resuscitate Alexander, even as the gunmen still roamed the concert hall. "Then he couldn't breathe any more," Wilson said, "and I held him in my arms and told him I loved him. He was the love of my life."

Bystander video has since emerged, with graphic images of fans trying to escape. Alexander was among the first confirmed fatalities at the Bataclan, where dozens of people ultimately perished. "Nick was not just our brother, son and uncle; he was everyone's best friend – generous, funny and fiercely loyal," Alexander's family said in an overnight statement. "Nick died doing the job he loved and we take great comfort in knowing how much he was cherished by his friends around the world."

Count Carney among them. "We'd been working with him for years. ... He was part of our family basically, one of those guys we'd see every time we come over here for these big European experiences we'd been having for 10-plus years," he said. "He was just a really nice guy. Always. Just loved rock and roll. He was just an absolute rock and roll guy. Lived for it."

Alexander's friends and family have set up a GoFundMe account to help with memorial expenses. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which left nearly 130 people dead and injured more than 350 across Paris. Also among the dead at the Bataclan were music journalist Guillaume B. Decherf, of Les Inrockuptibles; and Thomas Ayad, an international product manager for Mercury Records.

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