I have a whatsapp group with my 2 best friends (we're all guys btw). We are all active on it, messaging several times a day. Sometimes one of us won't be active for a few days but will eventually get caught up with chat, and it's always fairly light hearted.
One of my friends (who lives round the corner from me, the other lives other side of the country) stopped responding to the messages since the start of the year. They've all been delivered but just not read.
I messaged his partner after a week of not responding asking if they had a good new year and if his phone perhaps was broken. She responded saying he's not been his self lately but won't open about why he's behaving differently.
I then text messaged him and whatsapp'd saying I hope he's ok, and I'm here if he needs anything (wants to talk etc), but have had no response. A few weeks have passed and my other friend private messaged both him and his partner but got a similar response (blank from him and no further forward from her).
I'm not sure what to do? He's always been a happy social person. He's really well liked, always helps people whenever he can, is a really loving and active father and I don't know a single person that has a bad word to say about him. His one downside is he's always been a bit of a closed book and private person. He doesn't really open up about any deep issues, and the only time he's shown me an emtional vulnerability was when thanked me in his best man speech about giving him money in the past.
So now I'm stuck wondering if I should go knock on his door and ask what's up or whether to leave things be and hope if it's just a winter blues thing and he returns to his normal self? This is completely out of character and he's never behaved this way (in 30+ years of friendship he's lost his temper with me once). We all have a big birthday this year and last year he started working for hismself (but he has a constant stream of work) so maybe it's that?
I feel for his partner as she's tried everything to get him to open up but is accepting he'll talk (or not) when he's ready to. Apologies for the thesis but WWYD?