Refugee 'preparing to marry' before death

He came to Australia to escape persecution and start a new life. He made new friends and fell in love, and was looking forward to marrying his fiancee.

On Wednesday the young Tamil man died in Sydney's Villawood detention centre.

A friend remembered him as a happy person who loved music and dancing and who was looking forward to marrying his fiancee after being released from detention.

Former Iranian detainee Iraj Maghadam met the man while theywere in detention on Christmas Island and the pair became best friends.

"He was so happy to be in Australia and always singing and laughing," Mr Maghadam told AAP.

After being transferred from Christmas Island to Villawood, the man watched as many of his friends were granted permanent residency visas and released into the community, including Iraj and the man's fiancee Sangi.

Mr Maghadam said his friend met Sangi, a young Sri Lankan woman, at Villawood. The pair intended to marry once he was released.

However, once Sangi left detention, her partner began to suffer from depression and started taking antidepressants and sleeping tablets which were prescribed by a doctor at the Villawood detention centre, he said.

An autopsy is yet to establish the cause of the man's death but Mr Maghadam said his friend took an overdose of sleeping tablets on Tuesday night.

"I'm so angry he's dead," Mr Maghadam said.

"My heart is broken. I plead for the detention centres to close.".

He visited his friend at Villawood last week and understood he was frustrated with the long wait for his security clearance.

That was the last time he saw him alive.

He said other friends at Villawood told him of a letter his friend had written to authorities stating that he wanted to kill himself.

However, he said no one did anything to help.

"He was only 27, my best friend, and now he's dead," Mr Maghadam said.

He said his friend fled Sri Lanka over two years ago to escape persecution by the military regime, which had also imprisoned his parents.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, MensLine Australia on 1300 78 99 78 or Multicultural Mental Health Australia at www.mmha.org.au.