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Mrs Capon said: “He was a lovely, cheerful boy and Neil and Kazumi were 110 per cent devoted to him. He was their entire lives, they did not do anything without him.”

When she bumped into Mr Puttick on Tuesday, however, he told her that Sam was “under the weather”.

A spokesman for Bath and North East Somerset NHS said that Sam had been in intensive care at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. “When it became clear that Sam had no hope of recovery from his severe infection, he was discharged to his family home on Friday, May 29, at his parents’ request, to die peacefully. He was certified dead at his home by a doctor at approximately 8pm that evening.”

Mrs Capon passed the house at the weekend, unaware of Sam’s death, and thought it strange that the family vehicle, a specially converted Volkswagen Transporter, was missing. She said: “They would always tell me when they were going away as I looked after the house for them when they weren’t there.” On Sunday evening she thought she spotted the couple’s silver van in a television news report of the tragedy at Beachy Head, but did not make the connection.

Mr and Mrs Puttick had devoted their lives to Sam after the accident, which happened when another motorist lost control and struck Mrs Puttick’s car in 2005. Sam suffered a severed spinal cord but survived thanks to two passing doctors. He contracted MRSA as he was being treated in hospital and could not return home for nine months.

Mrs Capon said: “They didn’t see many people apart from us because their lives revolved around Sam’s needs. We never discussed their lives before the accident, it was like an unspoken agreement.

“Sam was as he was. They were totally totally devoted to Sam. I can only assume that losing him was just too much for them. All of us here are just shattered. We feel very honoured that we were friends with them.”

Mary Murray, head teacher of Westbury School, said that it had been a privilege to have known Sam. She said: “Sam joined us last September. He was a determined and happy little boy. The whole school community will miss Sam’s cheeky smile.”

Raymond Little, another neighbour, said: “They were a lovely couple and they did 150 per cent for that boy. It is all such a shock.”

Mr Puttick, who had worked in finance and the charity sector, started an online furniture and collectables business in 2007 to pay for Sam’s care.

The Putticks set up a website, called Stuff4Sam, to help to raise money to buy equipment for him including a special wheelchair that cost £30,000.

In 2006 Mr Puttick wrote on the site: “We are so very proud of how he has survived, who he now is and how he continues to smile and be so damn strong in spite of everything. He is simply amazing.”

In January this year, in a thank you message to benefactors, the Putticks expressed hope that medical science would one day be able to repair their son’s spinal cord. They said: “After everything the accident has taken away from him — his breathing, his movement, his exploration, his independence — you have given him the greatest freedom.

“Sam loves his life and he is simply the happiest boy in the world. You are the ones that have made this possible. As a family we live life now, but I wait for the day that Sam does not have to go through the medical procedures he has to go through everyday to keep him alive.”

A message of condolence posted on the website yesterday read: “We are all very shocked at this terrible news and thinking of everyone who cared for Sam or were close to Neil and Kazumi who are dealing with this tragic situation. We are all better for knowing them and Sam could not have wished for better parents.”

Wellwishers had sent greetings to Sam from six continents, including Antarctica, and the website featured photographs of “Hi Sam” messages from around the world.

Sussex Police said yesterday that there were no suspicious circumstances. Detective Inspector Ian Williams said: “As a result of our investigation I am satisfied that Samuel’s grieving parents Neil and Kazumi appear to have taken their own lives. This is a tragic incident and we extend our sympathies to their family and to the large number of friends and carers affected.”

The bodies of Mr and Mrs Puttick were spotted by a Coastguard patrol late on Sunday night. With darkness falling, it was not until Monday morning that a rescue team was able to descend the cliffs to investigate.

Stuart NcNab, a coastguard officer who was one of the first on the scene, said that he found two rucksacks alongside the bodies. “I opened the top of one and looked in and saw what I initially thought was a doll’s head but on closer examination I realised it was a small child. In the other rucksack were some toys — a tractor and teddy bears.”

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